Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 July 2004
15 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will reconsider the policy of placing pregnant asylum seekers together, in view of the outbreak of chickenpox at a centre (details supplied) in Dublin. [20812/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Reception and Integration Agency, RIA, which operates under the aegis of my Department, is responsible, among other things, for meeting the accommodation and ancillary needs of asylum seekers. The RIA currently operates 69 accommodation centres in 24 counties throughout the country together with three reception centres in the Dublin area.
Having made application for refugee status to the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner, ORAC, asylum seekers are accommodated in a reception centre in Dublin, including Balseskin reception centre which caters, in the main, for families and single females, for approximately ten days where their needs are assessed before transfer to an accommodation centre outside Dublin, if appropriate.
Health screening is available on site in all three reception centres on a voluntary and strictly confidential basis. In addition, an ante-natal clinic which is staffed by Rotunda Hospital medical, midwifery and administrative personnel, operates two mornings each week at Balseskin. It enables identification of healthy pregnancies where women may be transferred to direct provision centres and receive maternity services outside Dublin. Difficult pregnancy cases are either retained in Dublin or referred to other specialist centres, for example, Cork as appropriate.
The accommodation of newly arrived pregnant asylum seekers in Balseskin facilitates women in early attendance at a fully co-ordinated health service which includes health screening, an ante-natal clinic, GP, psychological and psychiatric services on site, if required. Crèche facilities are also available in the centre for all adults who have children so as to facilitate attendance at medical appointments.
Following extensive discussions between representatives of the Eastern Regional Health Authority, the Northern Area Health Board, the Rotunda Hospital and the RIA, agreement was reached on a protocol to be implemented at Balseskin reception centre should an outbreak of chickenpox occur. The protocol was devised to protect the non-immune pregnant women from chickenpox by ensuring their immediate identification and removal from the centre while, at the same time, minimising the impact on day to day operation of the centre.
Under the provisions of the protocol, pregnant women who are accommodated in the centre when a chickenpox outbreak occurs are tested for immunity. Those who are non-immune to chickenpox are removed to a dedicated isolated centre where they can be monitored by the medical professionals for a 28 day period — period of incubation — and arrangements are put in place to provide a separate ante-natal clinic at Balseskin for the duration of the incubation period. Those who are immune are transferred to suitable accommodation centres outside Dublin.
Having regard to the comprehensive nature of the services available to pregnant women at the centre and the steps taken in the event of an outbreak of chickenpox, the RIA has advised me that it has no plans, at this stage, to alter its policy on the placement of pregnant women there.
