Vol. 393 No. 4
asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the difficulty of the South-Eastern Health Board in appointing an anaesthetist to the Regional Orthopaedic Hospital at Kilcreene, Kilkenny; the steps, if any, he will take to assist this appointment, in view of the large number of people on the hospital waiting list for hip replacement operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
151.
asked the Minister for Health if he is concerned at the appalling delay in the appointment of an anaesthetist to Kilcreene Orthopaedic Hospital, Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to answer Questions Nos. 150 and 151 together.
I am advised by the South-Eastern Health Board that a consultant anaesthetist will take up appointment in the Orthopaedic Hospital at Kilcreene, Kilkenny, with effect from January 1990. An additional consultant anaesthetist post in Kilcreene Hospital is also about to be advertised which will increase the anaesthetist staff complement to four. As the Deputy will appreciate, there have been problems in attracting candidates to apply for consultant anaesthetists vacancies throughout the country. In the event of delays being met in appointing a person to the advertised post, the South-Eastern Health Board have arrangements in place to provide locum cover for the post with effect from January 1990. I am also pleased to report that concurrent with the improvement in consultant anaesthetist numbers employed in Kilcreene Hospital, funding has been approved to extend theatre facilities in the hospital with the building of a new theatre in 1990.
