asked the Minister for Health the provisions he has made to provide maternity facilities for patients from the Castletownbere area of County Cork following the closure of the maternity unit at Bantry Hospital, County Cork.
318.
Written Answers. - County Cork Maternity Facilities.
317.
asked the Minister for Health if he will immediately provide full maternity facilities at Bantry Hospital, County Cork.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 317 and 318 together.
After detailed examination of all the factors involved, I indicated to the Southern Health Board on 27 July 1983 that I could not agree to the development of a consultant staffed obstetric unit at Bantry General Hospital. Since then no arguments have been presented which would convince me of the possibility of developing a viable consultant staffed maternity unit at that hospital. I am pursuing with the health board the question of what arrangements need to be made to ensure that appropriate maternity services for the population of the Bantry General Hospital catchment area are available.