Vol. 474 No. 3
104 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11 who is urgently awaiting heart surgery in the Mater Hospital, Dublin 1, who has been attending the heart clinic since 1993 and whose condition is progressively getting worse, will have this vital operation. [2950/97]
, Limerick East): I understand from the Mater Hospital that the person referred to by the Deputy was admitted there today.
Admission for open heart surgery for adults in the public hospital service is determined solely on the basis of the patient's condition and not the length of time spent on the waiting list. As priority is given to urgent and emergency cases, routine cases for cardiac surgery can be on the waiting list for a considerable time and I have indicated previously how I intend to tackle this problem.
