Vol. 447 No. 11
98 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo is on a waiting list for a hip operation in Merlin Park Hospital for the last nine years; when this person will be called for this operation; the reason she had to wait so long to be called for this operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1297/95]
Limerick East): The patient concerned was assessed at the Out-Patient Department in Mayo General Hospital on 19 September 1994 and was subsequently placed on the in-patient waiting list and is due to be called for admission in the next few months.
The Deputy will appreciate that the scheduling of admissions to hospital is a matter for the consultant concerned and each case is assessed to determine medical priority. Should the patient feel concerned that her condition has deteriorated, she should return to her general practitioner who is in the best position to emphasise the urgency of her case directly to the consultant.
The Deputy may be aware that, under the 1994 Waiting List Initiative, a total of £850,000 was allocated to the Western Health Board for the provision of 1,222 additional procedures, including 109 orthopaedic procedures. This should reduce the overall waiting time for patients in the specialties targeted.
In addition, development funds of £400,000 were provided to the board in 1994 for the expansion of orthopaedic services at Merlin Park Regional Hospital. As a result, approval has issued to the Western Health Board to recruit a consultant orthopaedic surgeon and a consultant anaesthetist together with the necessary support staff.
