Vol. 438 No. 7
223 Mr. Kenneally asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Waterford who has been waiting for two years for heart surgery, will be called for his operation; and in view of the long delay, he will make a statement on the matter.
The scheduling of surgery is a matter for the clinical judgment of the consultant concerned and is based solely on the patient's condition and not on the length of time on the waiting list. I have made inquiries from the Mater Hospital and have been informed that the person in question was placed on the waiting list for coronary artery by-pass surgery on 4 February 1992. The hospital is unable at this stage to give a precise admission date for his operation. However, if the person feels that his condition has deteriorated he should contact his general practitioner who would be in the best position to highlight his case to his consultant.
In 1993 I allocated a sum of £1 million from the waiting list fund to enable the facilities to be put in place at the National Cardiac Unit, Mater Hospital to increase the throughput of open heart surgery at the hospital. In addition in 1993, I provided capital funds which will facilitate the doubling of cardiac surgery at Cork Regional Hospital from 200 to 400 patients each year.
The major programme of refurbishment at the National Cardiac Surgical Centre is ongoing. I have allocated in excess of £2 million in 1994 to the Mater Hospital for cardiac surgery and related developments. The development which is nearing completion includes additional cardiac maintenance beds, intensive care facilities and high dependency facilities which are required to support the cardiac surgery programme, including heart transplantation.
This development, together with the developments in progress for cardiac surgery at Cork Regional Hospital, will have the effect of increasing the number of coronary artery by-pass grafts performed on an annual basis in the public hospital sector by 47 per cent.
