Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 5 Dec 1995

Vol. 459 No. 3

Written Answers. - Cardiac Surgery Waiting Lists.

Liz O'Donnell

Question:

101 Ms O'Donnell asked the Minister for Health the plans, if any, he has to send patients on the public cardiac surgery waiting list to Belfast or to private hospitals in Dublin for treatment; if so, the number of patients his Department proposes to send to each; the expected cost of this project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18249/95]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan

, Limerick East): I am very concerned about the number of people on the waiting list for cardiac surgery and I am anxious to reduce the waiting period for those people at present on the list. The waiting list for cardiac surgery stands at 1,597.

The strategy to deal with cardiac surgery waiting lists has been to provide additional facilities and infrastructures within the public hospital service to increase annual activity. To date this strategy has resulted in an additional cardiac surgeon being appointed at the Mater Hospital where the annual activity for open heart operations has been increased by 250 per year to 1,000 per year; an additional cardiac surgeon being appointed to Cork University Hospital where an activity level of 400 open heart procedures per year is due to come on stream shortly.

The combined effect of this action will be to increase annual activity for cardiac surgery to 1,400 per year an increase of 47 per cent.

I am now anxious to expand the current public hospital capacity for cardiac surgery. I have asked my Department to formulate proposals for the provisions of additional cardiac surgery activity in the public hospital system. I am fully committed to the provision of additional capacity including the appointment of additional cardiac surgeons on a permanent basis within the public system over the next two to three years. This examination of the long-term requirements will begin immediately. However, because of the need to ensure that future developments are well planned and to allow sufficient time to put in place the type of permanent, expensive, high cost infrastructure required for cardiac surgery it will take some time before this additional capacity comes on stream. I have, therefore, asked my Department to see whether any health care organisations can provide cardiac surgery at prices which are reasonable and affordable on a once-off basis.

I am at present engaged in finalising negotiations on the purchase of additional once-off procedures and I hope to be in a position to make an announcement in this regard very soon.

The major objective is to increase the permanent capacity for cardiac surgery in the public hospital sector and in the meantime to provide additional procedures quickly to ease the problems of those waiting cardiac operations. I am hopeful that the short-term approach together with the long-term planning initiative will ensure that waiting times for cardiac surgery are reduced significantly and I look forward to co-operation from everybody involved to bring this about as quickly as possible.