Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 25 Oct 2001

Vol. 543 No. 1

Written Answers. - Medical Manpower Forum.

Jan O'Sullivan

Ceist:

24 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health and Children his response to the submission made to the medical manpower forum by the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland on the reconfiguration of the Irish hospital service in relation to smaller hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25616/01]

Brian O'Shea

Ceist:

95 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Health and Children his plans for the implementation of the medical manpower forum recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25614/01]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 24 and 95 together.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Government published the Report of the Forum on Medical Manpower earlier this year and approved the establishment of a national task force on medical manpower to, inter alia, prepare and oversee the implementation of a detailed programme based on the report's recommendations. The Government also decided that it would consider the proposed development of a consultant delivered public hospital service following quantification of the resource and cost implications involved.

Officials of my Department, in consultation with Mr. David Hanly, independent chairperson of the national task force on medical manpower, have been working on the draft terms of reference and working structures of the task force over the summer months, and it is envisaged that the task force will be established shortly. The task force will provide appropriate representation to all the relevant stakeholders and facilitate rapid progress through a structure of project groups which will work on a programme of priority issues in a parallel format. I am confident that this approach is the most appropriate and will yield rapid results.

I have recently received the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland's very useful response to the report of the medical manpower forum, which, I was pleased to note, welcomed the recommendations contained in the forum report.

In its response, the association raised a number of important and challenging issues, including the implications for the anaesthesia specialty of the reduction of NCHD working hours and the possible reconfiguration of certain hospital services in the context of a consultant delivered service. All of the issues raised in the response will be considered by the task force.

The Deputies may wish to note that a number of staffing difficulties were identified last year in hospitals in relation to the provision of anaesthetic cover. In response, a recruitment campaign was initiated in India and Pakistan which resulted in the employment of 50 NCHDs. This recruitment campaign filled all identified vacancies.