Joe Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

I call for the development of services at Mallow General Hospital rather than transferring patients to Cork University Hospital, as has been suggested. Some 125 GPs referred to Mallow General Hospital, which is the only emergency facility and acute hospital service north of the River Lee. It is an asset to Cork University Hospital and can help ease some of the problems there by catering for the local population's secondary hospital needs. Mallow General Hospital currently services 90,000 to 100,000 people, and the entire area is developing rapidly, having been designated a hub town and growth area under the national development plan.

Despite that, there is a belief locally that badly needed acute, 24-hour accident and emergency services may be transferred to the larger Cork University Hospital in an effort to centralise. While that may make some sense from a bureaucratic perspective, it makes absolutely none in reality. Downgrading or removing 24-hour accident and emergency services at Mallow would leave some patients two hours' journey from acute care, something totally unacceptable by international standards.

However, a gradual erosion of services at Mallow General Hospital has been under way for several years. In the mid 1980s, it was a major 101-bed hospital servicing the needs of the local community. Its status was confirmed by Mr. Justice Gannon in the High Court in 1989, when he designated it a general hospital. Now, however, despite a growing population and the development of new industries in the area, the hospital has only 81 beds.

There is an urgent need to develop a day facility, a position adopted by the health board in 2002 but, to date, not provided. That must come alongside a new day theatre and more day beds, including 150 new rehabilitation beds. It appears the Government's answer to the problems of the health service is to encourage people to pursue private health care as much as possible. That may be an option for a small number who can afford it, but not for the overwhelming majority, including those who rely on Mallow General Hospital.

Part of that strategy involved the consolidation of services in large city hospitals rather than the development of facilities at local units. However, I want to impress upon the Minister that it makes little financial sense to transfer patients by ambulance from Mallow to Cork and treat them at University Hospital, considering the estimated daily cost per patient in Cork in 2005 was €848 but only €574 in Mallow, a great difference.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children must be aware of the potential for development on the hospital grounds. Certain buildings are currently vacant and could be refurbished and made available, thus retaining and improving all the services that the hospital currently provides. There must be improvements in nurse, clerical and general grade staffing levels.

I invite the Tánaiste to visit Mallow General Hospital and see the vital work being done and the potential for even more development, after which I will ask her to consider appointing a new management board rather than allow officials at Cork University Hospital to manage Mallow, keeping finances in their own institution. That is what we have been dealing with in recent years, and I would like to see the Tánaiste do something about it. There should be a local management board and a manager appointed to look after moneys allocated to Mallow, ending dependence on Cork University Hospital.

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