Vol. 415 No. 4
177 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Health if she will outline (1) her policy on sterilisation on family planning grounds and (2) the hospitals, if any, which are providing this service and if she will make a statement on the matter.
181 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health if she will outline the steps, if any, she is taking to have tubal ligations widely available in public hospitals in this country in order to meet the increase in demand for this sterilisation procedure.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 177 and 181 together.
Where tubal ligations are deemed necesary for medical reasons they are considered part of a hospital's normal activity and are performed on the same basis as any other medical procedure and according to the same eligibility criteria.
The following is a list of public hospitals which provide tubal ligation services:
Rotunda
St. James's
Adelaide
Coombe
Holles Street
Portlaoise General
Mullingar General
St. John's, Limerick
Limerick Regional
Monaghan General
Cavan General
Letterkenny General
Sligo General
South Victoria, Cork
Cork Regional
Erinville Maternity, Cork
Tralee General
Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe
University College Hospital, Galway.
Sterilisation operations for family planning purposes are a matter for decision by the patients concerned in conjunction with their consultants.
