Richard Bruton
Ceist:244 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children the time during each week when the MRI scanner in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9 is available for use by both private and public patients. [6822/99]
Written Answers. - Hospital Services.
Richard Bruton
Ceist:245 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children the capital and annual running costs of an MRI scanner. [6823/99]
Richard Bruton
Ceist:246 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children the billing terms of the lease of the MRI scanner in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9 to the hospital's private clinic; and the annual revenue from the lease. [6824/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 244, 245 and 246 together.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facilities in the public hospital sector are available at Beaumont Hospital. The accepted tender for the installation of this MRI scanner in December 1991 was £1.8 million, which also included building works. No other tenders for MRI facilities have been obtained on behalf of my Department in the intervening period.
I understand that the scanner is available to public patients at Beaumont Hospital during nor mal working hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. I have been advised that the MRI scanner at the hospital is made available to its private clinic each weekday from 5 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. and occasionally on Saturday mornings, depending on demand. Revenue of £420,000 per annum accrues to the public hospital for this service. The running costs for the MRI scanner at Beaumont Hospital are £940,000 per annum. I have also been advised that requests for MRI scans at the hospital are prioritised using strict protocols based on medical need. If an emergency MRI scan needs to be performed on public patients outside normal hours, these patients get priority. The Deputy will appreciate that the running costs for MRI facilities would vary with circumstance from site to site.
My Department has been aware of the need to monitor and evaluate overall MRI requirements in the public hospital service. Accordingly, an expert study of the existing arrangements for the provision of MRI facilities nationwide and likely future demand in this area was commissioned from Professor David Banta, an international expert in health technology assessment. Professor Banta's findings were announced in 1997. As I have already outlined to the House, he identified the need to develop MRI facilities at University College Hospital, Galway, St. James's Hospital and the new Tallaght Hospital.
All three hospitals have now submitted applications to my Department for the development of MRI facilities on foot of the acceptance of Professor Banta's recommendations. My Department is currently in discussion with the management of the three agencies concerning the installation and operational requirements for their facilities. Once these discussions have been satisfactorily concluded, I am committed to making the necessary resources available for the provision of MRI facilities at the three sites. I am confident that this will have a positive impact on the overall waiting list and waiting times for MRI scans throughout the public health sector.
I am conscious that the pace of developments in this area is fast moving, both in terms of the technologies involved and their applications. I can assure the Deputy that the evolving needs of the acute hospital service for high-technology imaging facilities will be taken into consideration in implementing the commitments set out earlier.