asked the Minister for Health if he will consider the possibility of opening a cottage type hospital in the new town of Ballymun, Dublin.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Ballymun (Dublin) Cottage Hospital.
29.
The question of the hospital services required for north Dublin is dealt with in the report of the Consultative Council on the General Hospital Services which envisages the development of a regional hospital on the Mater Hospital site and a general hospital at the Blanchardstown site. Both my predecessor and myself have indicated our acceptance, in principle, of the recommendations in the report and the hospital authorities concerned in the north city area i.e. Jervis Street Hospital, Mater Hospital, St. Laurence's Hospital and the Dublin Health Authority, are at present actively considering the matter. Much progress has been made already in these discussions and I would hope to be in a position in the near future to indicate specifically the programme for general hospital development in north Dublin. I can assure the Deputy that whatever decisions are made in regard to this programme, the facilities which will be provided will be adequate to cater for the whole population of the north city area, including Ballymun.
The establishment of a cottage type hospital would to a large extent be a duplication of the services provided at the major hospital centres and could hardly be justified on either economic or medical grounds. In fact, such a project would be contrary to the principles set out in the FitzGerald Report especially in urban areas. Some of the functions which the Deputy may have in mind for a cottage hospital would be catered for by the proposed expansion of domiciliary health services particularly public health nursing, home help services, the setting up of comprehensive health centres and the provision of special welfare accommodation for the elderly. I do not feel in the circumstances that the building of a cottage hospital would be justified.
Is the Minister aware of the urgent need due to the fact that there is increased incidence of illness in areas which are centrally heated, as reported from Zurich University? Secondly, is he aware that the chief medical officer of this city has reported that some of the dwellings in the Ballymun area are not up to the best of standards for health purposes and that also in the Ballymun area, in the satellite town, there is a very high percentage of children and consequently a very high incidence of illness? In view of the recent report that children are not visited often enough in hospitals and that this is causing psychological disturbances in the children, would the Minister not consider it a matter of the utmost urgency to erect a children's cottage type hospital in the town of Ballymun?
I was personally unaware of all of the facts which the Deputy has set out and I shall bring those aspects of the matter to the attention of my colleague with a view to seeing if he has any different point of view in relation to the matter in the light of those added details.