Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 28 Jun 2000

Vol. 522 No. 3

Written Answers. - Consultant Appointments.

Michael Creed

Ceist:

26 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the contract of the only consultant in the country with specialist expertise in bladder extrophy, who is attached to Our Lady's hospital, Dublin 12, expired on 31 May 2000; if his attention has further been drawn to the fact that parents of children with this ailment are very concerned to ensure that a consultant with expertise in this area is retained in Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Dublin 12; the steps he will take in this regard. [17442/00]

Alan Shatter

Ceist:

132 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the contract of the only consultant in the country with specialist expertise in bladder extrophy, who is attached to Our Lady's hospital, Dublin 12, expired on 31 May 2000; if his attention has further been drawn to the fact that parents of children with this ailment are very concerned to ensure that a consultant with expertise in this area is retained in Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Dublin 12; the steps he will take in this regard. [18558/00]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin):

I propose to take Questions Nos. 26 and 132 together.

The service provided by the consultant referred to by the Deputy is currently provided as part of a locum service in paediatric urology at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children. As in the case of all consultant appointments the provision of such a service by a consultant urologist is matter for Comhairle na nOspideal which is a statutory body set up under the Health Act, 1970. One of comhairle's primary functions is the regulation of appointments of consultant medical staffs in hospitals providing services under the Health Acts and to specify qualifications for such appointments.

Comhairle published a report in December 1998 on paediatric surgery services which included paediatric urology services. The report recommended that specialist paediatric surgery for children throughout the State be concentrated in one unit in Dublin with all three children's hospitals providing non-specialist paediatric surgery and less complex urology. Comhairle is satisfied that the report and its recommendation represented the best way forward for the organisation and delivery of high quality and safe paediatric surgical care for children in the State given the presence of three paediatric institutions in Dublin.

The Deputy will be aware that a Council for Children's Hospital Care has been established and includes representation from the three Dublin paediatric hospitals. The council's primary role is to assist the paediatric hospitals to work with each other and with the Eastern Regional Health Authority to plan and develop acute paediatric services on a co-ordinated basis in the functional area of the authority.

The chair of the Council for Children's Hospital Care and the regional chief executive of the ERHA met recently with senior officials of my Department to review progress on the council's work programme and to identify a number of priorities, including paediatric surgery, which the ERHA and the council will be addressing during this year. My Department and the authority support the council's view that the area of specialist paediatric surgery merits immediate attention and recognises Comhairle na nOspideal's statutory role in this regard. It was agreed that a further meeting should be arranged between all parties, Comhairle, the Council for Children's Hospital Care, the ERHA and my Department to clarify the respective roles and expectations and to agree a defined timeframe for resolving the outstanding issues regarding consultant appointments in paediatric surgery in the best interest of the patients. Arrangements for this meeting are at present being finalised by officials in my Department.

I am very aware of the concerns of parents of children who require the specialist surgery referred to by the Deputy and I have requested my Department to ensure that a consultant post in paediatric urology be established on a permanent basis as a matter of urgency.