asked the Minister for Health if he will state in respect of each administrative health area the number of maternity beds in public wards excluding beds reserved for unmarried mothers.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Maternity Beds.
I would refer the Deputy to the reply which I gave on 23rd October, 1950, to a similar question asked by him. In connection with these figures, I would like, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to correct any misapprehension which may have arisen as a result of a statement made by me on the Second Readingof the Health Bill, 1952. I stated that there are at present about 1,106 hospital beds for maternity patients. I was asked by Deputy O'Higgins how many of these beds were reserved for unmarried mothers. I told him correctly that I was not referring to such beds at all. He then asked me if I was talking of public wards, and I replied in the affirmative. What I meant to convey was that these were beds in hospitals as distinct from private maternity homes. I may mention that some beds in hospitals are described as "private" beds because they are in single or two-bed wards, but in all the local authority hospitals, and to some extent in the voluntary hospitals, they are available when needed on medical grounds for the type of patient generally described as a public patient.
I gave full information on all maternity accommodation available in reply to a series of parliamentary questions by Deputy Dr. O'Higgins which I answered in October last and I am sure the position in the matter was clear to the Deputy. I merely mention it now in case it is not equally clear to other Deputies.
Has the Minister got to hand the approximate proportion of the private hospital beds to which he has referred out of the total mentioned?
The confusion arose as between two figures which were not very far apart. When I mentioned hospital beds, it was something like 1,100; but when I mentioned public wards, it was something like 1,000.
That is, about 100 in this specialised category of quasi-private beds?
A little over 100.