asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health whether his attention has been drawn to an order of the Carlow Board of Health compelling patients to enter the County Home before sending them for special treatment to Dublin hospitals, and whether, in view of the fact that dispensary doctors have certified them as special and urgent cases for treatment in Dublin, he will undertake to expedite matters whereby patients can be sent direct.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - CARLOW BOARD OF HEALTH ORDER.
The Carlow Board of Health have not issued an order compelling patients to enter the County Home before being sent to Dublin hospitals. They have issued an instruction to all dispensary medical officers that all cases requiring hospital treatment should be sent to the nearest available hospital under the control of the Board, and that no recommendation for treatment in a Dublin hospital should be made by any medical officer except the medical officer of the hospital. This arrangement affords the medical officer of the hospital an opportunity of seeing whether he can deal with the case in the local hospital and obviates unnecessary expenses. In the circumstances I consider the attitude of the Board of Health is reasonable and I do not propose to take any action in the matter.