Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 28 Jan 1997

Vol. 473 No. 6

Written Answers. - Hospital Waiting Lists.

Michael Bell

Question:

117 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Health the progress, if any, which has been made over the past four years in relation to waiting lists for the various services in hospitals in County Louth; the plans, if any, he has to further reduce these waiting lists in the interest of public health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2091/97]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): There are two key approaches within my Department to tackling waiting lists; first, through the waiting list initiative, whereby funding is targeted at problem specialties, specifically those where patients are waiting in excess of 12 months for inpatient procedures; and, second, through the provision of the necessary infrastructural support for service developments.

With regard to the waiting list initiative, over the past four years, the North-Eastern Health Board area, including the International Missionary Training Hospital, Drogheda, has received substantial funding from my Department aimed at tackling the problem of waiting lists. This may be broken down as follows:

Year	North-Eastern Health Board	IMTH
	£	£
1993	672,000	5,000
1994	400,000	20,500
1995	311,860	80,861
1996	434,020	181,000

Over the period 1995-96, my Department has also invested in excess of £1 million in the Louth-Meath hospital group, which, in turn, has facilitated the appointment of 11 new and replacement consultants to the group. Further substantial development funding in the region of £1 million is being made available in 1997 to the Louth-Meath group to provide the necessary infrastructural support for these consultant appointments.

A recent analysis of waiting times in the Louth area by the hospitals involved shows that, with one exception, namely ENT, no patients have to wait in excess of 12 months for inpatient procedures. In the case of ENT procedures I understand from the hospital concerned that the numbers waiting over twelve months reflect those patients who were offered dates for procedures but for a variety of reasons were unable to attend.

These results are evidence that the dual approach adopted by the Department in the north eastern region has impacted positively on waiting times and has also enhanced the quality of acute care available. The Deputy will be pleased to know that an additional £8 million is being made available this year for the waiting list initiative. I am confident that this should further impact on the average waiting times for procedures.