Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 13 Nov 1997

Vol. 482 No. 7

Written Answers. - Hospital Waiting Lists.

Liz McManus

Question:

82 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of medical card holders in County Waterford currently awaiting heart surgery; the average waiting period in this regard; if his Department will allocate additional funds to alleviate this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19211/97]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

Figures collected by my Department relate to the numbers of people on in-patient hospital waiting lists rather than to the patient's place of residence. It would not, therefore, be possible to give the Deputy a breakdown of the number of medical card holders from County Waterford currently awaiting heart surgery.

The following tables set out the numbers of adults and children on the national cardiac surgery waiting list at 30 September 1997, the latest date for which figures are available.

Adults

Agency	Waiting 3-12 months	Waiting over 12 months
Cork University Hospital	47	17
Mater Misericordia	138	764
St. James's Hospital	151	360
Total	336	1141

Children

Agency	Waiting 3-6 months	Waiting over 6 months
Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin	35	74

The provision of additional cardiac surgery facilities is a matter of national importance and one which will require significant capital and revenue investment over the next few years. The question of the provision of cardiac care service overall is under review at present. When this review is complete I will be making an announcement on the location of additional cardiac care services.

The Deputy may wish to note that I have recently approved a sum of £1.7 million under the 1997 waiting list initiative, specifically for cardiac surgery patients. I am confident that this will have a positive impact on the cardiac surgery waiting list.