Mary Coughlan
Question:264 Ms Coughlan asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of patients on public waiting lists in Letterkenny and Sligo general hospitals under each consultant in each hospital. [4293/99]
Written Answers. - Hospital Waiting Lists.
The information requested by the Deputy in respect of the quarter ending on 31 December 1998, the latest period for which information is available, for the North-Western Health Board, is set out in the following table. The information requested by the Deputy is not currently collected at consultant level.
My Department is currently awaiting waiting list returns in respect of quarter ended 31 December from a number of agencies. I expect that the up to date national return will be validated and available shortly.
In 1999 my Department will be placing very strong emphasis on the need for agencies to reach their targets of treating adults within twelve months and children within six months of being placed on the waiting list and has regularly pointed out that the length of time that patients must await surgery is significantly more important than the absolute numbers on a waiting list.
Since coming into office I have increased the funding available for the waiting list initiative from the £8 million provided by the previous Government in 1997 to £12 million in 1998 – which represents an increase of 50 per cent over the 1997 funding – and to £20 million in 1999, which represents an overall increase of 150 per cent since 1997.
|
LetterkennyGeneralHospital |
SligoGeneralHospital |
|
|
ENT |
0 |
1,005 |
|
General Surgery |
230 |
118 |
|
Gynaecology |
97 |
74 |
|
Ophthalmology |
0 |
387 |
|
Orthopaedics |
163 |
194 |
|
Urology |
169 |
0 |
|
Vascular Surgery |
146 |
2 |
|
Total |
805 |
1,780 |