Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 29 Jun 1995

Vol. 455 No. 3

Written Answers - Waiting List Initiative.

Michael McDowell

Question:

74 Mr. M. McDowell asked the Minister for Health the proposals, if any, there are to send public patients abroad or to private institutions in this country for treatment as part of the 1995 waiting list initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12148/95]

Michael McDowell

Question:

75 Mr. M. McDowell asked the Minister for Health the amount each health board and voluntary hospitals received as part of the 1995 waiting list initiative programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12149/95]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 75 together. A total of £8 million has been allocated to health agencies under the 1995 waiting list initiative. A breakdown of the allocation is set out in the following tabular statement.

Following the success of last year's waiting list initiative the Government has committed a further £8 million in 1995 to continue to reduce waiting times in a number of target specialities where waiting times are considered excessive. The initiative commenced in 1993 when the Government provided £20 million to address the problem. A further £10 million was provided in 1994.

In June 1993 when the first initiative commenced the total in-patient waiting list for all specialties was 40,130. By 31 December 1994 this figure had been reduced to 23,835. Since it commenced the initiative had reduced the overall in-patient waiting list figure by 16,295 or 40 per cent over a period of 18 months.

Approximately 700,000 people are treated each year in acute public hospitals throughout the country. The total in-patient waiting list figure at end of 1994, therefore, represents approximately 3 per cent of the annual throughput of the acute hospital sector.

The main aim of the initiative remains the elimination of in-patient waiting lists in excess of 12 months for adults and six months for children in the problem specialties and a target of 10,294 additional procedures has been set for 1995. In addition, the 1995 initiative will also target out-patient waiting lists, where waiting times are excessive and here an additional 6,728 persons at present awaiting an out-patient appointment will be seen.

This year's in-patient initiative will involve additional work in the following specialties:

Specialty	No. of Additional Procedures
Ear, Nose and Throat	1,925
General Surgery	2,308
Gynaecology	990
Opthalmology (cataracts and other)	939
Orthopaedics (including hip/knee replacements)	1,785
Plastic Surgery	899
Urology	532
Vascular Surgery (varicose veins and others)	1,016
Total	10,394

The procedures to be performed under the initiative are in addition to the level of baseline activity to be carried out in each agency, within their approved current expenditure allocation. This is fundamental to the success of the initiative and as was the case in previous years, activity, both additional and baseline will be continually monitored to ensure that targets are being achieved.

This year's waiting list initiative will also focus on out-patient appointments where waiting times are excessive. A total of 6,728 additional out-patient appointments will be issued under this element of the 1995 initiative. The out-patient initiative will in the main cover the same specialities as the in-patient initiative as well as a number of other priority areas which have been identified during this year's discussions with health agencies. The extension of the initiative to out-patient activity has taken place as waiting times for in-patient treatment have been reduced and is in line with the principle underpinning the initiative that those agencies which have been successful in reducing waiting times for in-patient treatment should continue to benefit from the funding available for the reduction of waiting times in the out-patients area.

As with the in-patient initiative this out-patient activity is in addition to the level of baseline out-patient activity and where agreed targets are not achieved funding will be clawed back.

My Department has no proposals at present to send public patients abroad or to private institutions in this country as part of the 1995 waiting list initiative.

Waiting List Initiative 1995

Funding allocated to Health Agencies

Agency	1995 Allocation
	£
Midland Health Board	250,000
Mid-Western Health Board	580,000
North-Eastern Health Board	311,860
North-Western Health Board	720,000
South Eastern Health Board	700,000
Southern Health Board	566,850
Western Health Board	709,097
Adelaide Hospital	377,500
Beaumont Hospital	840,000
Coombe Women's Hospital	73,620
Mater Hospital	620,000
Meath Hospital	58,000
National Children's Hospital	35,000
Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children	47,500
Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda	80,861
Rotunda Hospital	75,000
Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital	195,786
St. James's Hospital	530,000
St. John's Hospital	50,000
St. Michael's Hospital	106,200
St. Vincent's Hospital	699,250
South Infirmary/Victoria	208,476
The Children's Hospital, Temple Street	165,000
Total	8,000,000