Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 31 Jan 1995

Vol. 448 No. 3

Written Answers. - Heart Surgery Waiting List.

Séamus Hughes

Question:

78 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for Health the number of heart bypasses performed in the Mater Hospital in 1994; the number performed in the Cork cardiac unit; and the number of persons on the waiting lists in both centres. [1964/95]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): Open heart surgery operations for adults, including coronary artery by-pass grafts — CABGs — are currently performed for public patients at the National Cardiac Surgery Unit in the Mater Hospital, Dublin and at Cork Regional Hospital.

The number of CABGs performed in the Mater Hospital and Cork Regional Hospital in 1994 was 797 and 153 respectively, giving a total of 950. I should point out that, in addition to coronary artery by-pass graft procedures, the two hospitals also perform other open heart procedures.

The number of patients currently on the waiting list for all open heart surgery in these two hospitals is 1,710. The scheduling of surgery is a matter for the clinical judgement of the consultant concerned, is based solely on the patients condition and not on the length of time on the waiting list. Emergency cases are given priority.

In 1993, a sum of £1 million from the waiting list fund was allocated to enable the necessary facilities to be put in place at the National Cardiac Surgery Unit, Mater Hospital to increase the annual throughput of open heart surgery at the hospital from 750 to 1,000 — an increase of 33 per cent. In addition, in 1993 and 1994, capital funding of £2.8 million was provided to facilitate the doubling of cardiac surgery at Cork Regional Hospital from 200 to 400 patients each year.

Over 1993 and 1994, in excess of £2 million revenue and £3.5 million in capital was allocated to the Mater Hospital for cardiac surgery and related developments. The building works which were associated with this development were completed in mid-1994, include additional cardiac maintenance beds, intensive care facilities and high dependency facilities which are required to support the cardiac surgery programme. These new facilities at the hospital have now become operational and the additional cardiac surgery activity has commenced.

The developments at the Mater Hospital, together with the development for cardiac surgery at Cork Regional Hospital which were opened in November, 1994 will have the effect of increasing the number of cardiac surgery operations performed on an annual basis in the public hospital sector by 47 per cent from 950 to 1,400.