Written Answers. - Hospital Waiting Lists.
Ivan Yates
Question:
32
Mr. Yates
asked the
Minister for Health
the targets of treatment which will be carried out this year to eliminate the waiting lists for orthopaedic and ear, nose and throat hospital treatments; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
As the Deputy will be aware, I made a particular point of tackling the waiting lists as part of the programme of work undertaken with the additional funds which were made available to acute hospitals in 1989. He will also be aware that waiting lists are now a common feature of health services throughout the world. In this country, the waiting lists for most specialties are not excessive but I accept that we have a number of "blackspots". I am particularly concerned about these. Two of them, orthopaedics and ENT, are raised by the Deputy in this question.
In relation to orthopaedics, the priority is to increase the throughput for hip replacement operations. As a result of the special measures taken last year, the output for this procedure increased from the projected target of 1,900 to 2,200 in 1989 and to 2,700 in 1990. This is a very significant increase when viewed against a total waiting list figure of less than 2,000. This must also be viewed against a throughput of only 1,600 in the early 1980s when the waiting list was also 2,000.
Even though output is being increased dramatically, demand continues to grow so that the effect on the absolute numbers waiting is a gradual one. Overall, however, about 63 per cent of those waiting are on the list for less than one year but I accept that there are some areas where the waiting time is excessive and I will be paying particular attention to these.
On the ENT side, I have been particularly concerned about the problems of child deafness and I specifically targeted funds to alleviate this problem. About one-half of the 1,800 awaiting treatment at the end of the summer 1989 have now been attended to. The objective is to ensure that all children needing grommets will be attended to within six months. I have been paying particular attention to the areas with the longest waiting time for ENT procedures. I am very pleased to say that very satisfactory results are being achieved. For example, the waiting list in the Midland Health Board area has been reduced by 217 in the last quarter of 1989 and there will be a very significant further increase in throughput in 1990. It is hoped that the waiting list of about 1,000 in Temple Street Children's Hospital will be largely cleared by the end of the year.
These are specific, tangible results which are being achieved as a result of the initiatives taken last year. The full effect of these initiatives will only become apparent as the year progresses. They are part of an on-going programme of eliminating undue waiting times in any particular specialty.
