Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 17 Dec 1997

Vol. 485 No. 3

Written Answers. - Hospital Waiting Lists.

Róisín Shortall

Question:

209 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will provide details of the numbers of people on hospital waiting lists in each health board area; if he will give a breakdown of the operation and procedures which they are awaiting in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23415/97]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

The following table supplies the information requested by the Deputy for the period ending 30 September 1997. I have provided a total of £12 million to address hospital waiting lists in 1998. Of this amount, I am allocating £9 million immediately.

I am currently reviewing the situation in relation to cardiac waiting lists. As soon as I have completed this task I propose to allocate the remaining £3 million to this and other priority areas.

I have reviewed the arrangements for application of waiting list funding and I have taken the following initiatives to improve the effectiveness of the system:

*Where applicable, agencies have been notified in their Determination of Net Expenditure for 1998 of the level of funding available to them for waiting list work. This will give agencies much earlier notice of the money available than in previous years and will enable them to plan their activity accordingly.

*Each agency's service plan must now specify targets for waiting list activity during the year. It will then be the responsibility of the chief executive officer or hospital manager to ensure that the targets are achieved and to take corrective action if necessary as the year proceeds.

*Agencies have been instructed to focus increasingly on waiting times as well as on waiting lists, with the objective of ensuring that children do not have to wait longer than six months and adults no longer than 12 months in the specialties targeted for attention.

*Where agencies have not already done so, they have been requested to designate an individual to act as a co-ordinator of waiting list work within the agency and as a contact point with the Department.

TABLE 5

Regional analysis of waiting list by specialty (1997 Sep)

	Eastern Health	Mid-Western Health	Midland Health	North-Eastern Health	North-Western Health	South-Eastern Health	Southern Health	Western Health	Total
Cardiac Surgery	1,522						64		1,586
Cardiology	1,049	2					167	87	1,305
Dental	65	153				150			368
Dermatology	18						1		19
ENT	3,358	105	967	297	787	643	641	452	7,250
Endocrine	58						7		65
Endoscopy				218					218
Gastro-enterology	134					16			150
Genito-Urinary						10			10
Gerontology	3								3
Gynaecology	710	273	93	37	164	542	429		2,248
Haematology	3								3
Maxillo-Facial	288								288
Medicine	63	9				1			73
Nephrology	46								46
Neurology	70								70
Neurosurgery	421						6		427
Ophthalmology	972	568			202	148	316	500	2,706
Orthodontics				23					23
Orthopaedics	2,300	642	597	503	302	666	833	474	6,347
Pain	172								172
Plastic Surgery	951						181	379	1,511
Psychiatry	7								7
Respiratory	96								96
Rheumatology	38						15		53
Surgery	984	275	188	305	208	316	339	262	2,877
Thoracic	24								24
Urology	687	4			132	32	394	459	1,708
Vascular	1,748	13	28		114	172	429	95	2,599
Total	15,817	2,044	1,873	1,383	1,909	2,696	3,822	2,708	32,252