Vol. 421 No. 4
224 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in the admission to hospital of an elderly patient (details supplied) in County Mayo who has been waiting for a hip replacement operation for a considerable period of time.
The person in question is on the waiting list for admission to University College Hospital, Galway for a hip replacement operation and I understand that it is not yet possible to give an exact admission date.
The Deputy will appreciate that the scheduling of admission to hospital is a matter for the consultant concerned and every patient is assessed to determine their medical priority.
Should the person feel that their condition has deteriorated, they should return to their general practitioner who will be in the best position to emphasise the urgency of their case to the consultant directly.
