Vol. 435 No. 9
118 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Health the hospitals that carry out heart defects procedures for children; if his attention has been drawn to the recent report indicating that children with serious heart defects are being put on a waiting list of six months in a Dublin hospital; and the need for urgent appointments to address this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Paediatric cardiac surgery is carried out at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin.
The Deputy will appreciate that the scheduling of admission to hospital is a matter for the consultant and urgent cases are always accorded priority. I am informed by the authorities at Our Lady's Hospital that no child who needs urgent cardiac surgery has to wait longer than four weeks. Waiting list patients are generally dealt with within four months.
Under the £20 million waiting list initiative, I have provided resources to Our Lady's Hospital, Crumlin to carry out 40 additional cardiac surgery procedures and 100 cardiology procedures which will further reduce waiting lists.
