Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

It is not correct that there have been no additional resources. In my response I said that Dr. Beatrice Nolan was appointed as a consultant haematologist to Crumlin in March. She came from the national tertiary centre at St. James's and relieved the doctor who was working with haemophiliacs and sickle cell patients to allow that other consultant to deal exclusively with sickle cell cases, because it is a big issue. We know the cause of sickle cell in a large percentage of births relates to people coming here from African countries. A large percentage, some 20%, of births in national maternity hospitals relate to people from that continent and there is no doubt it will be a growing problem. However, the resources of the hospital have increased significantly. We would love to have more money for everybody. The reality is we are living in an environment where resources are very constrained and, therefore, we have to do our best with what is available, in the way we organise services and how we prioritise things within the hospitals.

Regarding the private system, Cappagh is not a State hospital but a voluntary not-for-profit facility and is in a position to do scoliosis cases. However, there is no question of the treating consultant being paid a fee to perform the surgery there. The NTPF has procured surgery there, I understand, for a number of patients, and two are scheduled to happen at Cappagh within the next couple of weeks. Clearly, we have to use whatever resources we have, whether from the NTPF or the direct allocation to the hospitals, to treat the patients who require medical attention most.

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