Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)

I will be taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney.

The Midland Regional Hospital at Mullingar provides an extensive range of quality driven acute services to the population of Dublin and the Midlands and in particular to people in the Longford-Westmeath area. The hospital has been recognised as being one of the most efficient in the country in the context of the annual casemix adjustment. Last year the hospital was the highest in the country with a positive casemix adjustment of €1.977 million. The hospital also had one of the lowest average lengths of stay in the country at 3.3 days in 2008 and this year to the end of September the average length of stay was 3.1 days. The transfer of patients to the upgraded ward areas, which are part of phase 2B of the capital development at Mullingar, is due to take place today. The bed complement is now 158 in-patient beds, 24 day beds, six medical assessment unit beds and 11 observation unit beds, a total of 199 beds.

It is important to note that this is a reduction of 21 beds and not 41 as quoted by the Deputy.

See this speech in context