Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In terms of an elective-only hospital for the mid-west region, I am big supporter of the idea. Some 17% of the patients within the UL Hospitals Group are there for elective procedures. All of that space could be freed up, and the hospital could deal with emergency care. Is UHL in a position to finalise what proposal it is going to support? Our guests have spoken about 150 units at St. John's, which would be fantastic. There is also the UPMC proposal. Obviously, I would like to see a publicly owned, elective-only hospital for the mid-west region. There is a need for a Government decision around that, because it does not include Limerick. In Dr. O'Connor's opinion, would it be advantageous for the mid-west region to have such a facility to deal with elective-only procedures?