Dáil debates
Wednesday, 17 October 2007
Other Questions
Health Services.
1:00 pm
Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 79: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when, in relation to the CT scanner officially opened by her in April 2007 at Louth County Hospital, Dundalk the necessary radiology staff will be in place to operate this service; if there is necessary and sufficient support staff in place to assist radiology staff; the number of days per week this service will be available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24077/07]
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Health Service Executive has advised my Department that the CT service at Louth County Hospital, Dundalk commenced in June 2007 on a phased basis. The service is being provided in co-operation with staff from Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda. A CT specialist attends Louth County Hospital one day per week. Last year over 1,400 patients from Louth County Hospital received CT scans at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.
The HSE intends to introduce a full service at an early date. My Department is advised that, when fully operational, the service will be provided on a daily basis from Monday to Friday and will have the capacity to carry out up to 2,200 scans per annum. This will require the redeployment of a clinical specialist from Drogheda to Dundalk and the filling of the resulting vacancy. The necessary radiography staffing is in place. An after-hours service will continue to be provided in Drogheda.
Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Before the general election we had a major issue with Dundalk hospital. The Minister for Health and Children went to Dundalk — I was there with the others — and amid much fanfare and with the media present launched the CAT scan service. Everybody believed at the time that it was a significant development and that the service would be fully operational immediately. However, this was a political PR stunt which misled the people of County Louth and, more particularly, the people of Dundalk about this service. I find it unacceptable that the Minister states a full service will be available "at an early date". That is not good enough. The people were misled by the way the Minister opened the CAT scan service in such a public and open manner. Is she not ashamed of herself?
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I remember that day. I remember the Deputy was there and I think we were photographed together.
Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I think it was Albert Reynolds and his Fianna Fáil colleagues who got the CAT scanner.
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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As Deputies know, I did not have any party political interest in Dundalk and do not do political stunts.
Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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The Minister performed a stunt for the Government. She cannot avoid her responsibility.
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Notwithstanding the embargo on recruitment, the HSE has granted a derogation to Drogheda to recruit the necessary staff to have the scanner in full-time service.
Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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We want the scanner in Dundalk.
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Yes, in Dundalk.
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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In Louth County Hospital which is in Dundalk. I have been there three times.
Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I hope the Minister will not go back and close it down.
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Notwithstanding the embargo on recruitment, there has been a derogation granted in this case, as there has been in a few other cases around the country. I hope the service will be fully operational quickly
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I will try to facilitate as many as I can if Members will be brief.
Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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If the people of County Louth have been waiting since April, the people of Mallow and the north Cork community have been waiting two and a half years for a CT scanner to become operational. We need the staff to make it operational. Will the Minister appoint the necessary staff?
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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It is beyond the scope of the question, but if the Minister wishes to reply, I will facilitate her.
Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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It relates to the policy on how CT scanners are rolled out.
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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To be fair to the Deputy, I do not have a brief on the up-to-date position in Mallow. I owe it to his father who used to mention this matter to me frequently to ensure we will have the necessary staff. I will revert to the Deputy, if that is in order.
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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As has been stated, this facility was opened in a blaze of publicity——
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I do not remember getting any publicity.
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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It certainly was. With all due respect, this is another insult not only to the people of Dundalk and County Louth but also the north east. Clearly, it was a stunt in advance of the general election in which the Minister participated. Had she taken any time to establish if the HSE were going to ensure the human resources would be in place to operate this facility? Is she aware that it took until July before the service even opened for one day per week and that it then ground to a halt completely? Is she conscious that the Taoiseach committed on the floor of the Chamber that this facility would be up and running from March? From March until September and the announcement of the recent embargo on recruitment by the HSE the equipment remained virtually inoperable for all but one day per week. What is the HSE's excuse, and what vigilance did the Department exercise, in regard to the scandalous situation in which high tech equipment lay largely idle? What excuse does the HSE have for not recruiting staff to operate it? What excuse does the Minister offer? She need not trundle out the notion of an embargo on recruitment. There was no embargo in place over those months.
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The hospital never had a scanner. It is positive that it now has one, notwithstanding all the criticism.
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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It is not much use if it is not functioning.
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I do not justify the fact that it is not operational five days a week. I simply say that one day is better than none. There is no embargo on recruiting staff for this scanner and I hope the HSE proceeds to do it as quickly as possible. I could not and will not stand over a situation where public money is spent on the purchase of, in this case, a CT scanner and it is not fully operational. It is not fair, not only to the citizens and patients of Drogheda and Louth, because it obviously places an extra burden on Drogheda, but it is also unfair to the taxpayers who have provided the funding for this scanner.
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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It is in Dundalk. The Minister should not get confused.
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I know it is in Dundalk.
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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There are two other Deputies offering. We have exceeded the time allowed but I will facilitate them.
Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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Unlike Deputy Sherlock, the Minister does not owe me anything. I have a similar question in regard to the county hospital in Nenagh. There is a new CT scanner there which is not operational because there is no staff. It is crazy in the context of waste in the health service. What the Minister did for Nenagh hospital was to close 25 beds under the cutbacks and reduce it to a 75 bed unit. It has operated comfortably with 95 to 100 beds over a number of years but the Minister, in her wisdom, has cut it back to 75 beds.
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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That is outside the scope of the question. The Deputy should put a relevant question.
Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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When will the Minister deal with the legacy of funding for Nenagh hospital?
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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That is a separate question but the Minister may answer if she wishes.
Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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Those services were never granted an accompanying budget and that is the reason Nenagh hospital is over budget at the moment.
Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The radiology services in Navan, which according to the Minister's figures dealt with 177 patients every month for the past nine months, will have less work now that the orthopaedic ward is closed. Is it intended to move some of the staff to do work in other hospitals? The regional network manager accepted that 180 patients could miss out on having their operations in December. It is accepted that only six were booked in. However, the consultants have confirmed they only book their patients in three or four weeks in advance. That regional unit deals with many more than six patients so it is unfair to suggest that only six patients will be affected. In regard to the services, is it intended to move some of the staff out of Navan during this month when operations are cancelled to work in the other unit, given that it is a regional unit? In regard to the radiology services, pre-assessment works will probably not be carried out in respect of patients hoping to undergo procedures in January or February, so the delay in operations will be a lot longer than a month. That should be admitted.
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I would wish no patient was inconvenienced and that operations never had to be cancelled.
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Equally I must draw attention to the fact that the Navan hospital budget is increased by 21% this year.
Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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It was cut by €1 million last year.
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The budget for Nenagh was increased by 17% this year. If Limerick Regional Hospital and Waterford Regional Hospital and Holles Street Hospital where there is a huge increase in activity can live within their budget, we expect other hospitals to do so as well.
Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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Additional services were put into Nenagh but there was no budget to operate them.
Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The budget for Navan hospital was cut last year by the Department for no reason.
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I have the figures. I will give them to the Deputy.
Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I have figures as well.
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Navan hospital got €36.5 million. That was an increase of 21%.
Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Its budget was cut by €1 million the year before. The Minister did not clarify the figures. The suggestion that only six patients are affected is not believable.
Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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Does it make sense to have a scanner sitting idle?
Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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One would have to get sick in January or February or just before an election.
Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I do not seem to have it.
Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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If it has anything to do with the HSE, it is no wonder it has been lost.