Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 4 Jul 1991

Vol. 410 No. 4

Adjournment Debate. - Tralee (Kerry) Regional Hospital.

Mr. Moynihan

I would like to convey to the office of the Ceann Comhairle my sincere thanks for allowing me the opportunity this afternoon to raise this matter. The Regional Hospital in Tralee was recently constructed to cater for 425 beds, following a careful and intensive assessment of the hospital needs of the County Kerry region of the Southern Health Board. As of now there are 70 beds still vacant. The current cutback, which resulted in the total closure of a ward, will impact very seriously over a number of weeks until its reopening on the medical and surgical treatment of patients in County Kerry.

Recently consultants took the unusual step of inviting all the public representatives in Kerry to meet them to give expression to their serious concerns about the proposed cutbacks. These people have no political axe to grind. Their sole responsibility lies in their professional expertise in treating patients. Their concern was very solidly expressed and that concern was conveyed to the Minister for Health who was arranging a visit to Kerry ten days later. A request was made for the Minister to meet the consultants, but it is regrettable that he did not do so because he would have got a realistic picture of their thinking on the matter following the closure of the wards.

In addition to the impact of the closure on patients in Kerry it should not be overlooked that County Kerry is the hub of the Irish tourist industry. It is estimated that during the tourist season not less than 800,000 people pass through the county. In normal circumstances a percentage of these people would require hospitalisation and it would be regrettable if adequate facilities were not available to deal with them.

The whole position as expressed by the consultants to the public representatives is, to say the least, unsatisfactory. Their feeling was that decisions had been taken in Cork without full discussion on the impact of those decisions. That is something they would like to be fully involved in, and that should be the Minister's view also. It is difficult to understand how a hospital catering for the medical and surgical needs of a community can decide to impose very substantial cutbacks in the absence of full consultation with the consultancy, medical, nursing and ancillary staff. It is necessary at this stage that the Minister comes to grips with the Southern Health Board in relation to this matter.

I find it difficult to understand, as do many people seeking treatment and waiting for admission, why the board are proceeding with the appointment of three or four top-level staff, involving major changes in structure, costs, space, and so on. That may be a very necessary and desirable development in health board administration, but at a time when there are such severe cutbacks, the ordinary citizen is entitled to expect the resources available to be channelled into providing a service. I ask the Minister to take account of that issue.

At this time the board have serious problems in keeping intact their supplies and in making payments to contractors perhaps, three, four or five months out of line.

I appeal to the Minister of State that either he or the Minister go to Tralee and instead of meeting the politicians meet the consultants, the doctors and the nursing staff. They will give a true picture of the present position.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Mr. Flood)

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity to clarify the position with regard to Tralee General Hospital.

I have made it clear in the past, and it is important to emphasise the point again, that apart from normal seasonal closures the level of bed availability approved for 1990 will be maintained fully in 1991. The organisation of services at Tralee General Hospital is, of course, a matter for the Southern Health Board in the first instance. The board made a decision to close 15 five-day beds at the hospital for two weeks at the beginning of July and for two weeks in August. I point out that seasonal closures are part and parcel of the provision and organisation of acute hospital services throughout the country and have been so for many years. The seasonal closures at Tralee this summer are planned to coincide with periods when staff are on annual holiday and when the level of activity at the hospital has traditionally decreased.

Waiting times for most specialised services at Tralee are not excessive and the seasonal summer closures were planned on a two-week basis to minimise delays for patients. It should also be noted that the closures were planned some time ago to enable consultants to take them into account when managing and organising their caseloads. Therefore, it is not correct to say that there was no communication or consultation on the matter of the summer closures. They were discussed with the consultants in Tralee.

The Southern Health Board are satisfied that there are sufficient beds available to meet the demands placed on the hospital. All emergency and urgent services will, of course, continue to be provided and are not in any way affected.