Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 16 Dec 1993

Vol. 437 No. 4

Written Answers. - Surgical Training.

Martin Cullen

Ceist:

33 Mr. Cullen asked the Minister for Health if, in view of the ruling by the Royal College of Surgeons that it will not certify for surgical training any hospital that does not have at least two full-time general surgeons on staff, his Department intends to hire an additional general surgeon at Naas General Hospital, Louth County Hospital, Bantry County Hospital, Roscommon County Hospital, St. Columcille's Hospital and Monaghan County Hospital to prevent those hospitals from losing their training accreditation.

Minister for Health (Mr. Howlin)

The responsibility for recognising hospitals and other facilities for training purposes lies with the appropriate higher training bodies. In the case of surgery, the appropriate body is the Irish Surgical Post-Graduate Training Committee at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

My primary concern as Minister for Health is to ensure that the appropriate staffing and other resources are available to provide services to patients. In the case of consultant appointments, Comhairle na nOspidéal has the statutory responsibility for regulating the number and type of such appointments. I understand that the Comhairle takes account of guidelines and recommendations issued by the training bodies. However, these guidelines are only one element of the many factors taken into account by the Comhairle in assessing applications for the creation of consultant posts.

Of the hospitals listed by the Deputy, I understand that a formal proposal for the creation of a second consultant surgeon post has been made by the North-Eastern Health Board for Louth County Hospital. I believe that some initial discussions have taken place with the Western Health Board concerning a second post for Roscommon County Hospital.