Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 9 Mar 1999

Vol. 501 No. 6

Adjournment Debate. - Hospital Projects.

Mr. McGrath

There is grave disquiet and anxiety in the Mullingar area, and throughout counties Longford and Westmeath, concerning the future of Mullingar General Hospital. The recent announcement of the Minister of £50 million capital investment programme for Tullamore General Hospital is seen not only as political expediency but as a total rejection of the decisions of the Midland Health Board.

The minutes of the September 1997 meeting of the Midland Health Board state that the order of priorities, as previously agreed by members, were agreed once again. They are: the commissioning of phase 2A of Longford-Westmeath General Hospital; capital project, General Hospital, Tullamore – accident and emergency department, out patients department, day ward, new entrance and concourse; capital project, general hospital, Portlaoise – acute psychiatric unit, medical wards, catering department, and provision was made for the design to add a new paediatric unit to the general hospital at Portlaoise; and, phase 2B, Longford-Westmeath General Hospital, Mullingar.

It was agreed that the members would seek funding from the Minister for all the board's priorities but that the list would reflect the order of priority if that was requested by the Minister.

The recent announcement for Tullamore goes contrary to those minutes. The rejection of Mullingar General Hospital is particularly disturbing when we see a five storey block built at this hospital three years ago with four floors still unoccupied. The fitting out of these floors would provide much needed beds. Is the Minister aware that, even though there are 57 medical beds in this hospital, the bed occupancy over the winter averaged in the region of 90 beds per day? It peaked at 120 beds per day.

Is the Minister aware that Mullingar General Hospital has the highest output and best value for taxpayers money of all the hospitals in the Midland Health Board area? The Minister, by failing to sanction the additional capital funding for phase 2B of Mullingar General Hospital, is penalising the staff of the hospital and the people of Longford and Westmeath who rely on the hospital for services.

A new consultant surgeon is to take up his appointment shortly. Will there be adequate theatre facilities to ensure the maximum output from this new surgeon and all the other surgeons working at the hospital?

Contrast all this with the announcement of capital investment of £73 million for the Minister's own constituency of Laois-Offaly. The corresponding announcements for Longford and Westmeath amount to £2 million. That money is the proceeds of the sale of lands and buildings at St. Loman's in Mullingar.

I demand that the Minister set out the timetable for the completion of phase 2B of Mullingar General Hospital. The public of Longford and Westmeath are not prepared to wait for the provision of these much needed additional beds.

Mr. Cowen

I greatly regret the tone of the Deputy's contribution. It beggars belief that a Deputy from that side of the House could make such a contribution. The question of setting priorities for the development of acute hospital services in the Midland Health Board area is a matter for the board in the first instance. Some years ago, the Midland Health Board determined its priorities, as part of a comprehensive acute hospital plan, as the completion of phase 2A of Longford-Westmeath General Hospital, the development of Tullamore General Hospital, the provision of an acute psychiatric unit at Portlaoise General Hospital and the completion and commissioning of phase 2B of Longford-Westmeath General Hospital.

Despite what Deputy McGrath said, I am very pleased with the progress made on these priori ties to date, priorities which are being achieved because someone is taking cognisance of the needs of the Midland Health Board area, unlike the Deputy's colleague when he was in office.

Mr. McGrath

That is not true.

Mr. Cowen

As the Deputy knows, since coming to office I have set about improving services in all three acute hospitals across the Midland Health Board region. I have provided over £2 million in order to commission phase 2A at Mullingar.

Mr. McGrath

I know that.

Mr. Cowen

There was no money for it. I provided half the total commissioning unit costs in 1998 for Mullingar General Hospital, 50 per cent of the national requirement. I was happy to perform the official opening of this important development last November. On 19 February 1999 I announced a much needed major capital development at Tullamore General Hospital. I had earlier given approval to proceed with the detailed planning of an acute psychiatric unit at Portlaoise General Hospital and was pleased to be able to approve a proposal to combine this with a new paediatric unit at the hospital, which was not in the plans of any Fine Gael Minister for Health as far as I am aware, nor was any money provided for it.

Mr. McGrath

It was contained in the priorities of the health board.

Mr. Cowen

It was contained in the priorities of the health board as of September 1997, during my tenure.

Mr. McGrath

That is correct.

Mr. Cowen

I did not interrupt the Deputy.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

The Minister without interruption.

Mr. Cowen

There was no provision for a paediatric unit or an acute psychiatric unit in Portlaoise General Hospital and there was no money for the commissioning of phase 2A of Mullingar General Hospital until I entered office. Those are the facts. I am glad I have been able to make considerable progress in relation to these vital developments at all three acute general hospitals in the Midland Health Board area. The developments I have approved illustrate my commitment to developing all three acute general hospitals in the midland region in an integrated, cohesive way, as set down by the Midland Health Board for the past 15 years.

Mr. McGrath

What about the timescale?

Mr. Cowen

The investment at all three sites also secures the future of all three hospitals in the region, something that I have long supported, both in Government and in Opposition, and was pleased to confirm during my tenure as Minister for Health and Children. At no stage did anyone in my constituency say that the capital priority being given to phase 2A of Longford-Westmeath General Hospital should not go ahead.

Mr. McGrath

Because that is what the Midland Health Board agreed.

Mr. Cowen

That is correct. I am sick and tired of Opposition Deputies coming into this House, playing politics with the medical care of the people of the midland region. It does not serve those people in any way. It is time it stopped because the Deputies do no service to the people they seek to represent.

Mr. McGrath

The Minister should give the timescale.

Mr. Cowen

It is also important to point out that the development of hospitals across the Midland Health Board benefit the people of the entire midland region. Members of the Opposition have come to the House crying about why there were such long orthopaedic lists – 2,500 – in Tullamore General Hospital, which provides a service for all four counties. I am sick and tired of answering questions from Opposition Deputies who cry crocodile tears. I am proposing a capital development to deal with that issue, which will help those in Deputy McGrath's constituency as much as it will help those in mine. Perhaps I should have done nothing, the same as the Minister from the Deputy's party, for the people of Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath—

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

The Minister's time is concluded.

Mr. Cowen

—and we would not have had to argue about anything.

Mr. McGrath

The Minister should give a timescale.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

The Minister's time is concluded, he should make his concluding remarks.

Mr. Cowen

I am not prepared to come to this House and listen to criticism from people who did nothing for those hospitals. Developments at Tullamore General Hospital which has responsibility for providing orthopaedics and ENT to the whole area are important as it is not only those living in Offaly who will benefit, as some people, including Deputy McGrath, would like to represent.

I am committed to improving the services of all three hospitals in the entire region and I have set about doing this in a planned, co-ordinated way. I have already provided the necessary funding for the opening of phase 2A in Mullingar. I was the first to provide funding for major improvements at Portlaoise General Hospital, the first improvements in 60 years, and recently I continued the improvement process by announcing a major development at Tullamore. I understand that the next priority of the board is to complete and commission phase 2B of Longford-Westmeath General Hospital. The availability of funding for phase 2B will be examined in the light of competing priorities in the health capital programme, but it is not possible at this stage, as the Deputy knows, to give commitments in this regard.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

I ask the Minister to conclude his remarks.

Mr. Cowen

I assure the Deputy that as a result of the improvements we have made, phase 2B has some prospect of success under this Administration.