Dáil debates

Friday, 3 December 2021

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions

Healthcare Infrastructure Provision

11:40 am

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wholeheartedly agree with Deputy Cullinane. There needs to be engagement with the health committee and elected representatives from the regions. To answer his question, these will be regional elective hospitals that will not just serve Cork city, County Cork or Galway city. They will be incredibly useful. I suggest to both Deputies that elected representatives from the regions and members of the health committee consider arranging a trip to one of these hospitals, which I would be very happy to facilitate. We have one such hospital, the Reeves Day Surgery Centre in Tallaght University Hospital, which has four operating theatres. It is modest by comparison with what we are looking at building in Cork, but it is going incredibly well. The Reeves centre has no inpatient facility. I am very aware that there are strong views in some parts of the clinical communities in Cork and Galway that there should be inpatient beds as part of this. That is actively under consideration and consultation.

I have very strong advice from the expert group that these hospitals should be day case only. It might be worthwhile if Professor Frank Keane comes in to talk to the health committee about that. All I ask of the Deputies is to keep an open mind until they have an opportunity to engage with the experts on the rationale for it. It is quite a compelling argument but no decisions have been made on that. I strongly recommend a trip to the Reeves centre to talk to the surgeons there about how useful they are finding it for medium and lower complexity work. Their lists are scheduled, they know they are coming in at 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. on a Monday and nothing stops that. The volume is going very well. In fact, more and more hospitals throughout Dublin are expressing interest in using it. I would be very happy to facilitate a trip to the Reeves centre in addition to broader consultation. Both Deputies are exactly correct. There has to be engagement with those in the Dublin, Galway and Cork regions so that this is received well and understood as the best possible response and solution.

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