Martin ‘buck-passing’ on hospital funding issue

HEALTH MINISTER Micheál Martin is “buck-passing” on a funds issue threatening the development of a hospital where some equipment would not be out of place in the Third World, FG TD Jim O’Keeffe has said.

He said the single biggest issue was a plan to effectively downgrade the surgical services at Bantry General Hospital, but there were other questions to be answered.

Mr O’Keeffe said a rehabilitation and assessment unit had been built but had been lying idle since December due to a lack of funds for staff.

“As a consequence, West Cork continues to have no rehabilitation services for older people,” he said.

Reference was made to the upgrading of the X-ray Department in Bantry but one of the two rooms had been closed since last year as funds were needed to renovate it, he said.

“The x-ray equipment, particularly the ultrasound machine, is substandard and would not be out of place in a Third World country. It needs to be urgently updated,” Mr O’Keeffe said.

Medical wards have been upgraded but are overcrowded, he said.

Mr O’Keeffe said he had raised the issue in the Dáil with the minister, who said the provision of services, was a matter for the Southern Health Board (SHB).

“But the health board report to me states very clearly that progress in the development of services at Bantry Hospital is contingent upon the availability of adequate resources from the department.

"This is a classic case of buck-passing by Mr Martin,” he said.

The SHB said €2.45m has been spent on improving the physical structure of the hospital and considerable upgrading of equipment has taken place.

On the question of surgery, the board awaits a decision by Comhairle na nOispideal for the appointment of a second surgeon in the hospital.

Funding has been made available to the hospital in 2003 to provide equipment for the x-ray room that is out of commission, it said.

Medical wards in Bantry General Hospital, according to the SHB, are not overcrowded.