Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 7 May 1997

Vol. 478 No. 7

Written Answers - Hospital Waiting Lists.

Ivor Callely

Question:

80 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Health if he will give details of the waiting list for heart surgery in Dublin hospitals; if he will give a gender breakdown; the actual waiting period on the lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[12190/97]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): Heart surgery for adults is carried out at two Dublin Hospitals, namely, the Mater Misericordiae Hospital and St. James's Hospital. The numbers on the waiting list and gender breakdown are listed as follows:

Hospital	On Waiting List
Male	Female
Mater	699	193
St. James's	435	140

While information is not routinely collected by the agencies in the format requested by the Deputy, I have been advised that the majority of patients on waiting lists are waiting less than two years. I should point out that any individual's position on the waiting list would be subject to ongoing clinical assessment and prioritisation by the consultant concerned.

I have been examining the overall requirement for cardiac surgery nationally and to this end I set up an option appraisal group last year to invite proposals from a number of hospitals for the development of a facility to treat an extra 500 cardiac surgery cases annually. The group has now received proposals from the four sites and it is in the process of finalising its report which will make recommendations regarding the future development of the service. The group hopes to present its final report to me shortly.