asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he will state whether a proposal for the provision of an extension to Peamount Sanatorium with increased facilities for patients and nursing and medical staff, has been submitted to his Department; if he is aware that over 300 patients anxiously seeking sanatorium treatment are on Peamount Sanatorium waiting list; and if, in view of these circumstances, he will see that nothing less than bed accommodation for 300 additional patients will be sanctioned.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Peamount Sanatorium.
As I informed the Deputy in reply to his question of the 18th April last, everything possible is being done to extend bed accommodation for persons suffering from tuberculosis. Measures are being taken to provide additional bed accommodation by an extension of Crooksling Sanatorium, by the provision of temporary accommodation at Ballyowen, Lucan, and by an extension of Rialto Hospital. All these works are being pressed forward. They should result in the provision of 249 additional beds.
I understand that there are over 100 persons from Dublin City and County amongst those on the waiting list of Peamount Sanatorium and the measures referred to when completed should result in a considerable lessening of the Peamount waiting list. It is also understood that there are 55 persons on the Peamount waiting list who are likely to be provided with accommodation in their own counties as a result of action which is being taken by the local authorities concerned.
Sanction has already been given to the provision of 100 extra beds in Peamount, while there is at present in progress the erection of a garden pavilion and a rearrangement of the accommodation in the institution, which should result in 31 further beds being provided.
The latter part of the reply is the only part dealing with my question, where the Parliamentary Secretary admits that his Department is providing 100 beds in Peamount against an application for beds for 300 patients. If that is the position, why prevent the Peamount Sanatorium providing accommodation for 300 people on the waiting list? What are these people to do? They may be dead before the Department is ready to deal with the problem if it is proposed to provide only 100 beds.
No proposals for the provision of 300 beds at Peamount Sanatorium have been submitted to my Department.
Would the Minister say how many have been applied for? Since coming into the House I heard that they applied for 200 beds—not 300 —but the Parliamentary Secretary is only going to give them 100 beds.
That is a substantial exaggeration.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary take immediate steps to deal with the tuberculosis problem in Dublin?
The Minister is as much concerned about that as is the Deputy.
I want the Minister to say that he will give the sanatorium 300 beds and not be tinkering with the problem, because that is what is happening.