Vol. 416 No. 6
296 Mr. G. O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork has to wait at least 18 months for an appointment to see a consultant at the Cork Regional Hospital, and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The admission of a patient to hospital is a clinical decision for the consultant in charge of the case. Priority is given according to medical need and the patient's position on the waiting list. If the patient's condition is causing concern, it is open to his or her general practitioner to stress the urgency of the case to the consultant concerned.
