It is now almost impossible to find inpatient treatment facilities for children who develop psychiatric problems, according to the president of the Irish Medical Organisation.
Dr Kate Ganter said yesterday there should be at least 10 inpatient psychiatric beds for such children in each health board area and twice that number in the eastern region, but at present there were only 14 in the State with 10 in Galway and four in Dublin. "There is huge pressure on waiting lists for these beds," she said.
Dr Ganter said a report published in 2000 drew attention to this "dearth of mental health facilities" for children but it had not been acted upon. "Once again committees are set up, reports are published and no action is taken."
The beds were needed to treat children with eating disorders, suicide ideation and severe emotional problems such as anxiety. She was not, Dr Ganter emphasised, referring to the needs of troubled children coming before the courts.
A conference heard last week that 40 children under the age of 15 had died by suicide in Ireland during the past 10 years - treble the rate of the previous decade.
Dr Ganter was speaking at an IMO press conference in Dublin at which details of its annual meeting, to be held next week, were announced. Among the key issues for discussion are alcohol abuse, mental health services, infectious disease management and the National Treatment Purchase Fund.
The union's vice-president, Dr Joe Barry, also criticised the Government for failing to act on the recommendations of the Alcohol Taskforce: "Séamus Brennan's initiative on penalty points has had a bigger impact on the health of the population than anything that has come out of Hawkins House."
People would tolerate tougher laws to curb alcohol abuse. "There is a lot of talk but there is not a lot of legislation," Dr Barry said. "We have a crisis-driven health service. The former minister called Hawkins House Angola because it's just reacting to one landmine after another."
He also complained about slow progress in implementing the national health strategy.