Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 8 May 1991

Vol. 408 No. 1

Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Galway Hospital ENT Unit.

John Connor

Question:

22 Mr. Connor asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the ear, nose and throat unit at University Hospital, Galway which is the only one in the Western Health Board area, is grossly understaffed and under-funded; that it has now reached a position where it can only deal with half the patients referred to it; that it has the longest waiting list in the country; and in view of this unacceptable situation if he will outline the action he intends to take to remedy the problem.

Dr. O'Hanlon

I have allocated in excess of £124 million to the Western Health Board this year for the provision of health services. The provision and funding of the ENT service in the Western Health Board area is a matter for the board in the first instance. The question of extending this service is for the board to decide in the light of their overall financial position and their priorities for service development.

As the Deputy will appreciate, waiting times for patients depend on the medical condition of the individual patient, and waiting lists are kept under regular review by the consultants concerned. Priority is accorded to each patient on the basis of medical need.

In 1990, a total of 1,679 ENT inpatients were treated. This represented an increase in throughput of 10 per cent over 1989 figures and an increase of 19 per cent over the number of patients treated in 1988.

I am aware that the position with regard to waiting times for ENT patients at University College Hospital, Galway, has been exacerbated by the departure in early 1990 of one of the three ENT surgeons in the unit. The Western Health Board did, however, appoint a replacement surgeon in February 1991 and I expect that this should improve waiting times over the coming months.

In addition, the day surgery unit for which I provided a grant of £200,000 is now fully functional and this too will help to increase the throughput of ENT patients.

Mr. Connor

Is the Minister aware that the Labour Court recently recommended the appointment of an additional registrar to the ENT unit in University College Hospital, Galway? Will the Minister agree to make that appointment? Is the Minister also aware that Comhairle na nOspidéal a couple of years ago recommended that there should be five consultants appointed to this unit in University Hospital Galway? Does the Minister accept the finding and the recommendation of Comhairle na nOspidéal in relation to consultant staffing of this unit? Is the Minister aware that the throughput in this unit is 20 per cent short of the throughput in the largest unit in the country, the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin, and yet they have twice as many consultants, twice as many beds and twice as many back-up staff? Will the Minister comment on those points?

Dr. O'Hanlon

The Deputy's question did not refer to what Comhairle na nOspidéal recommended so I do not have that information to hand. In relation to ENT consultants, the Western Health Board appointed another consultant in February 1991. We look carefully at comparisons between hospitals, looking for value for money, which is essential when one is spending the amount of money we spend on the service. The consultants in the Eye and Ear Hospital are working from a number of locations. I am not sure that any of them are full-time; they are part-time. However, we will look at the number of sessions and the number of patients treated vis-à-vis what is happening in the Western Health Board area.

Mr. McCormack

What action does the Minister propose to take to shorten the waiting list, the longest waiting list in Ireland, in the University College Hospital, Galway? Instead of blaming the Fianna Fáil dominated Western Health Board what will the Minister do about it? It is not right to say that there was a 10 per cent increase in the patients in 1990 when those numbers were allowed run down drastically in 1988 and 1989.

Dr. O'Hanlon

The Deputy is incorrect in the figures he is quoting. The number of inpatients treated in 1988 was 1,410 and the number of inpatients treated in 1989 was 1,523. That was an increase, not a run down. The number of patients treated in 1990 was 1,679, another increase, despite the fact that the hospital was one consultant short for most of the year because a consultant left. The Western Health Board appointed a new consultant in 1991 and also opened a day surgery unit which will have a major impact on ENT procedures many of which can be performed in a day surgery unit. The health board, with our support, are taking measures to ensure that there is an improvement.

Mr. McCormack

They have the longest waiting list in Ireland.

Mr. Allen

Twenty per week.

Mr. Connor

The Minister in reply did not deal with my point in relation to the Labour Court recommendation that an additional registrar should be appointed. That recommendation will go to the Minister's Department for sanction and it will have to go to the Department of Finance. Will the Minister undertake to recommend the appointment of the additional registrar to the Minister for Finance? Is the Minister aware that the outpatients waiting list in the ENT unit in Galway is now over 5,000 people and more than two years? Will the Minister say how many people have removed their names from either the inpatient or outpatient waiting lists because the lists are too long? How many have opted instead for private treatment?

Mr. Allen

That is what is happening.

Mr. Connor

Will the Minister reply to those points?

An Ceann Comhairle

They are largely separate questions.

Mr. McCormack

They have been well researched.

An Ceann Comhairle

While this is a matter for the Minister it appears that the Deputy has raised some specific matters which, in my opinion, are worthy of separate questions.

Mr. Allen

The Minister is playing with the truth.

Dr. O'Hanlon

I agree, a Cheann Comhairle. First, no reference was made to the Labour Court recommendation. I do not have a copy of it with me but I have the figure for the numbers of people who attended the outpatients department. Despite being an ear, nose and throat consultant short the number of patients who attended the outpatients' department in 1988 was 3,031; 3,061 in 1989 and 3,644 in 1990. Therefore, there has been a steady increase each year, as I said in reply to earlier supplementaries.

Mr. McCormack

The list is getting longer.