Vol. 537 No. 5
307 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on whether the level of service which the Mater Hospital can give is adequate to meet the demands even for urgent cancer treatment; the immediate steps he will take to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16680/01]
I am aware of the difficulties being experienced by a number of acute hospitals in the Dublin area, including the Mater Hospital, in dealing with increasing demands on their services.
As the Deputy is aware, I initiated a national review of bed capacity in both the acute and non-acute sectors on foot of the commitment by Government in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. The review is being conducted by my Department in conjunction with the Department of Finance and in consultation with the social partners. The review is now at an advanced stage and the findings will be brought to Government in the near future.
In the meantime I recently provided a special allocation of £3 million to the Eastern Regional Health Authority to facilitate a number of short-term measures to increase bed capacity in its area. The application of this funding is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority and my Department has therefore requested the regional chief executive of the authority to supply details to the Deputy as a matter of urgency.
