Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 22 Apr 1999

Vol. 503 No. 5

Written Answers. - Hospital Waiting Lists.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

113 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of patients on hospital waiting lists awaiting heart surgery; the average length of time these patients have been on this list; the longest any such patient has been listed in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10656/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

Adult cardiac by-pass surgery in the public health sector is currently carried out at three centres, the Mater Misericordiae Hospital Dublin, Cork University Hospital and since September 1998, St. James's Hospital, Dublin. Paediatric cardiac surgery is carried out at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children Crumlin.

As the Deputy will be aware, public patient waiting list statistics are collected by hospitals and furnished to my Department on a quarterly basis. At the end of December 1998, the most recent period for which information is available, there was a total of 776 adults awaiting cardiac surgery over 12 months, and 380 waiting for three to 12 months. There was a total of 57 children awaiting cardiac surgery over six months, and 16 waiting for three to six months.

Regarding average waiting times and length of time on the cardiac surgery list for patients, the Deputy may wish to know that, on foot of the recommendations of the waiting list initiative review group report, agencies are finalising the validation of their waiting lists in line with the policy circular and guidelines, issued by my Department on 7 January 1999. I will revert to the Deputy at the earliest opportunity with this information which should provide a more comprehensive and accurate picture of the situation regarding details of waiting times for cardiac surgery.

The Deputy will be aware that, in 1998, I allocated funding of £2.3 million under the cardiac surgery waiting list initiative, with the specific aim of reducing the national cardiac surgery waiting list for adults and children. In 1999, I have made provision for the allocation of £4 million under the cardiac surgery waiting list initiative and I am confident that this funding will build on last year's success in reducing the total number of adults and children on the waiting list. The impact of the 1998 cardiac surgery waiting list initiative was to reduce the overall numbers waiting, adults and children, at the end of December 1998 by 142. This represents a reduction of over 10 per cent on the figure for December 1997.

As Minister for Health and Children, my priority is to address the existing cardiac surgery waiting lists and the ultimate objective is to achieve an average six month waiting period for those on the lists. I am confident that the development of additional adult public cardiac surgery facilities at St. James's Hospital, Dublin and University College Hospital, Galway will help reduce the waiting lists which exist at present. Target activity levels are in the region of 450 procedures annually at St. James's Hospital and 300 procedures at UCHG. This additional activity will increase existing adult public cardiac surgery capacity by over 50 per cent. I am also developing additional children's cardiac surgery capacity at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin in association with the National Cardiac Unit, Mater Hospital to provide for up to an additional 100 cardiac procedures for children. This additional activity will increase existing paediatric cardiac surgery capacity by up to 40 per cent.