Seán Ryan
Question:208 Mr. Ryan asked the Minister for Health the possible date for a tonsilectomy for a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; the number on the waiting list for such treatment; and this person's place on the list.
Written Answers. - Tonsilectomy Treatment.
As I am sure the Deputy will appreciate, the admission of a patient to hospital is a matter for the clinical decision of the consultant concerned and the hospital authority. Non-urgent (elective) cases may be put on a waiting list to ensure that emergency and urgent cases can be dealt with promptly. A patient's position on the waiting list is therefore under constant review and is subject to change depending on the medical circumstances of the cases on the list.
The waiting list or admission for ENT surgery at Temple Street has decreased from 1,228 in November 1989 to 801 at the end of May 1990 as a result of additional funding provided to increase the number of ENT procedures. This is a significant decrease and I am confident that the numbers on the waiting list will continue to fall.
I am informed by the authorities at Temple Street Hospital that the hospital anticipates that the patient in question, who was placed on the non-urgent waiting list on 18 May 1990, will be admitted in around six months time. I would suggest to the Deputy that if the patient's condition has deteriorated, her parents should take her back to her family doctor who would be in the best position to assess and then, if necessary, to stress the urgency of the case to the consultant concerned.