Martin queries Mater bed closures

The Minister for Health has asked for an explanation from the Mater Hospital about the threatened closure of 115 beds in the hospital. Mr Martin said the Dublin hospital had received a 9 per cent increase in funding for this year.

"I would have questions to ask in terms of how that translates into the closure of 115 beds," he said.

The Minister said the hospital had "very significant" deficits last year, and this was the real source of the problem. He knew that some agencies and institutions had gone above their ceilings in term of employment levels.

"Some hospitals managed it within their budgets and don't have deficits coming into 2003. Other hospitals like the Mater and Vincent's and others have deficits, and we sought to try and understand the basis behind those deficits," Mr Martin said.

"Now we have been in touch with the ERHA today. We will be asking for a full report from it in relation to the situation pertaining to the Mater and indeed to the other Dublin hospitals."

The Mater board met on Tuesday night and decided that one-fifth of the hospital's beds would have to be closed before the end of April, in an attempt to reduce a €18 million deficit.

The Minister was speaking at the publication of the second report on the implementation of the Heart Health task force.

Some €54 million had been invested in implementing the cardiovascular health strategy since 1999. Some 800 extra staff had been employed, including 17 consultant cardiologists and 139 health promotion officers, Mr Martin said.

After cancer, heart disease was the main cause of death in this population in 2000. When combined with other cardiovascular disease, it accounted for 32 per cent of all deaths, compared with 24 per cent for cancer in that year.

This State topped the EU league table for deaths from cardiovascular heart disease, with twice as many deaths as that of France and Italy, he said.

The waiting list for cardiology procedures has fallen by 24 per cent since the Heart Health strategy began. However, despite the extra funding, this is just in line with the national reduction in overall waiting lists.

A more marked reduction in waiting lists has occurred for cardiac surgery patients. This figure ha fallen by 75 per cent during that time, while waiting lists for some procedures have fallen by as much as 200 per cent.