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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 14 Oct 1997

Vol. 481 No. 4

Written Answers. - Cardiac Services.

Nora Owen

Ceist:

125 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will make resources available in order that the list of children requiring heart surgery can be speeded up in Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, Dublin 12; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that infants are unable to get surgery without a very long wait; and if his attention has further been drawn to the situation of an infant (details supplied) in County Dublin. [16058/97]

Richard Bruton

Ceist:

127 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children whether he has carried out a review of the current level of cardiac services available in the national speciality centre in Crumlin Hospital, Dublin 12; his views on the additional personnel and the additional facilities which are necessary to upgrade these services; and whether he has put in place a planning framework within which these resources will be provided. [16060/97]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 125 and 127 together.

The level of cardiac services available at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, has been the subject of ongoing discussions between my Department and the hospital for some time. The reasons for the increasing pressure on this service have been identified as being the lack of theatre space and ICU beds, shortage of ICU trained nurses and the advances in surgical and interventional techniques which have resulted in increased demand.

At a meeting in April 1997 the Department invited proposals from the hospital for the spending of £500,000 to be made available from the 1997 waiting list initiative to alleviate the pressures on this speciality. The hospital submitted a proposal which was accepted by my Department and funding was provided to support it. In a recent progress report on the initiative the hospital stated that: — following the appointment of a locum consultant paediatrician the hospital has experienced an increase in its Cardiology Out Patient Department's activity and in the number of echocardiograms performed. The combination of both these factors will result in an additional 545 procedures being carried out in 1997.

Building works on four additional ICU beds commenced in July and are expected to be completed this month.

An additional training programme for ICU nurses commenced on 22 September and six candidates have been selected for participation.

A project team (consisting of officials from my Department and hospital representatives) is currently working on a development plan for the provision of additional theatres at the hospital.

The question of additional consultant manpower is being considered in the context of the wider review I am currently undertaking of the further development of cardiac services generally. I am confident that all of these initiatives will have a positive impact on the service levels of this speciality.

Inquiries have been made regarding the individual child referred to and I am informed that this case was recently reviewed. A further review by the consultant cardio-thoracic surgeon will take place next month. As the Deputy may be aware the scheduling of surgery is the clinical decision of the consultant concerned. Should the parents of the child feel that her condition has deteriorated they should contact her general practitioner who would be in the best position to take the matter up with the consultant directly.

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