Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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433. To ask the Minister for Health the rationale for the building of a private clinic in the new national children's hospital. [29626/19]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The vast majority of services in the new  children’s hospital will be public services. However, as part of the National  Contract for Consultants negotiated in 2008, some consultants holding specific contracts are entitled to engage in private outpatient practice outside of their public commitment and this commitment must be conducted on site, that is, in the  hospital they are contracted with. As a result, private outpatient clinics may  be held on the public hospital campus but these clinics must be held outside  contracted hours. The new children's hospital is obliged to provide such facilities for consultants holding such contracts.

There are a total of 8 clinics off the main concourse of the new children’s hospital. There are a suite of rooms within each clinic. Each of these clinics are identical in fit out.

It is proposed that private care may be provided in one of these 8 clinics. The proposal is for  consultants to pay a fee for use of the rooms and other operational costs.