Michael Finucane
Ceist:89 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Health and Children the procedures for delivery of blood, plasma and related products to hospitals throughout the country. [28770/00]
Written Answers. - Blood Products.
The Irish Blood Transfusion Service, IBTS, supplied blood components and blood products to 67 hospitals throughout the country. The vast majority of deliveries are made by the IBTS using its own fleet of vans and on scheduled deliveries from its centres in Dublin and Cork. Essential hospital requirements, outside the normal delivery schedule, are delivered to rural hospitals by public transport, that is, by train or by long distance bus services. Insulated containers are used for this purpose. In addition, a taxi service is used where a hospital requires an IBTS product in an emergency. I have been given to understand that the current industrial action by taxi drivers has not adversely affected emergency deliveries of IBTS products.
Question No. 90 taken with Question No. 15.