Vol. 437 No. 3
112 Mr. Molloy asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a person (details supplied) in County Galway has been informed that it will be 12 months before he is called for surgery at the orthopaedic department in Merlin Park Hospital; if he has satisfied himself that there should be such a long delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
This patient is on the in-patient waiting list for a knee replacement operation at Merlin Park Regional Hospital, Galway. The Western Health Board has indicated that it expects to call the patient for surgery in approximately three to four months time.
The Deputy will appreciate that the scheduling of admissions to hospital is a matter for the consultant concerned, and urgent cases are always accorded priority. Should this patient feel that his condition has deteriorated, he should return to his general practitioner who would be in the best position to emphasise the urgency of his case directly to the consultant at Merlin Park Hospital.
