Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 25 Oct 2001

Vol. 543 No. 1

Written Answers. - Hospital Services.

Bernard Allen

Ceist:

156 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children if he plans to review the national MRI scan service; his views on the running of private businesses in public hospitals for private profit; and if he has satisfied himself that, where companies run private businesses in public hospitals, there is equality of access for public and private patients. [25745/01]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

Responsibility for the provision of a magnetic resonance imaging service to eligible persons rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards. A comprehensive service is available for public patients requiring access to this service. In the public system MRI facilities are available at Beaumont, St. James's, and Tallaght hospitals in Dublin and the University College Hospital, Galway. I was pleased to provide £5.8 million – 7.36 million – in May 2000 for the provision of additional MRI facilities in public hospitals.

The Deputy may also wish to note that the Children's Hospital, Temple Street and Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital, Dublin, have both opened MRI facilities recently. In both cases these scanners were purchased and installed through voluntary fundraising and I understand that the East ern Regional Health Authority is contributing funding towards the revenue cost involved. In addition, I understand that a privately run MRI scanning service is available in Cork and at a number of private hospitals. These additional facilities are accessed by the public hospital system.

Co-operation between public and private health care providers is an established feature of our health care system and one which I fully support in the interests of providing a comprehensive and accessible service to public patients. The continued development of this link will be an important feature of the forthcoming national health strategy.