Vol. 457 No. 4
14 Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in Galway will be called for an urgently needed back operation due to the fact that he is suffering from considerable pain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13570/95]
(Limerick East): The patient concerned was last assessed in the outpatient clinic in Beaumont Hospital on 16 October 1995 and is currently on the in-patient waiting list for neurosurgery. The hospital is unable to give an exact date for admission at this stage. As the Deputy will appreciate, the scheduling of surgery is the clinical decision of the consultant concerned and urgent cases are always given priority. Should the patient feel concerned that his condition has deteriorated he should return to his general practitioner who will be in the best position to emphasise the urgency of the case directly to the consultant.
The Deputy will be aware that, in June of this year, I launched the 1995 Waiting List Initiative with the commitment of £8 million nationally. The aim of this year's initiative is to further reduce waiting times in a number of specialties where waiting times are considered excessive, and a target of 10,934 additional procedures nationally has been set. Under this year's initiative, a total of £840,000 was allocated to Beaumont Hospital for the provision of 930 additional procedures which includes 200 neurosurgical procedures. I am confident that this will significantly reduce patient waiting times in this specialty.
The information in the reply does not say anything to the person concerned who is suffering severe pain. He was given to understand that it would be at least one year before his operation would be carried out. He is taking painkillers all the time. When is he likely to have this clinical procedure? It is disingenuous to say it is a clinical decision because if there is no money, the procedure cannot be carried out. If the money were available, the procedure would be carried out tomorrow.
(Limerick East): A neurosurgeon organises his list and I cannot interfere in that. When the neurosurgeon assessed this patient he indicated that surgery would be carried out in about 12 months. From what the Deputy stated it seems the patient's condition has deteriorated and if the patient's general practitioner reports that deterioration to the consultant, the patient's priority listing will be altered.
What is the average waiting time for this operation?
We must not go beyond the bounds of the question tabled.
(Limerick East): I have details of the patient's medical condition and I am not sure if the operation is one that I can describe as falling into a classification of medical condition.
Does the Minister agree that the problem is not the clinical diagnosis stating the operation is urgently needed but that there is not sufficient money available to enable the operation to be carried out? This area is not accorded sufficient priority. Other elective procedures are funded while people are left in pain. Does the Minister agree that is the simple issue we are dealing with?
(Limerick East): No. Any neurosurgeon can only do so much in a normal working week. Many of them work very long hours. If a neurosurgeon cannot take a case as a matter of priority, one cannot conclude it is because of insufficient financial resources being available. We are all aware of the pressure that department in Beaumont Hospital has been under for some time.
Does the Minister agree that if this patient had the means to go privately, he would not have to wait one year for the operation?
(Limerick East): I do not have any information which would confirm that. The medical condition of the patient is not one that can be described by classifying it. I do not have sufficient information to state if the service would be available other than in the neurosurgical division of Beaumont Hospital.
Does the Minister accept that there are two waiting lists — one for public and one for private patients? The facilities are available if one can pay for them but for those who cannot afford to pay the facilities are inadequate. That is a mystery which has puzzled many politicians.
(Limerick East): The Deputy is making a great case for one of his constituents but it is not appropriate to use Question Time to process the medical condition of a constituent. There are other ways of contacting my Department which may be more fruitful. We could talk in private about the details of the case rather than discuss the patients's clinical condition across the floor of the House.
