Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 6 Jun 1996

Vol. 466 No. 5

Written Answers. - Cork Hospital Facilities.

Batt O'Keeffe

Ceist:

20 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health if he has satisfied himself that the facilities available within the Accident and Emergency Department at University Hospital, Cork are adequate to ensure the hospital could fulfil its role as a national centre for admission of victims of nuclear or chemical incidents. [11277/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): In May 1995, the Southern Health Board established a committee to review the organisation and delivery of accident and emergency services in Cork.

The group completed its report in March 1996 and discussions are currently taking place within the board to address the issues identified in this report. I expect to receive a copy of the report in the near future.

At present, in the event of a chemical or nuclear accident, there is a major emergency plan put into operation, which involves all emergency services, i.e. Garda, fire services, ambulance service and the accident and emergency department. Each of these has its own separate function.

In the case of a chemical incident, which is the more likely of the two, each chemical company has its own decontamination procedures in place. The fire service also has a body shower for the purposes of decontamination. It is the major emergency policy worldwide that decontamination takes place at the scene of the accident. Once the hospitals have been notified of the accident, the hospital emergency plan is put into operation, which includes notification of all emergency staff. The victims are then transported by ambulance to any one of three accident and emergency departments in Cork. The Deputy will wish to know that emergency beds have been allocated to cope with such a situation.

In the unlikely event of a nuclear accident, Cork University Hospital has equipment specially designed to monitor and measure radioactive contamination including thyroid uptake.

Facilities and equipment are constantly under review by the Department of Health and the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland.