Vol. 440 No. 4
340 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Limerick will receive a cataract operation in view of the fact that this person is awaiting this operation for some time; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
As I am sure the Deputy will appreciate, the scheduling of surgery is a matter for the clinical judgment of the consultant concerned. I have made inquiries of the Mid-Western Health Board and I have been advised that it is not possible at this stage to give a precise admission date for this patient. However, it is anticipated that she will be called for surgery later in 1994.
Following the success of the £20 million waiting list initiative in 1993, a special allocation of an additional £10 million has been made in 1994 to enable further progress to be made in the specialties targeted last year. The principal objective will continue to be the elimination of waiting times in excess of 12 months for adults in the specialties of cardiac surgery, ENT, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, plastic surgery and vascular surgery, and to set a maximum waiting period of six months for children in ENT and ophthalmology. My Department will shortly be discussing with the agencies plans for the further reduction of their waiting lists.
