Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 5 May 1999

Vol. 504 No. 2

Written Answers. - Hospital Waiting Lists.

Richard Bruton

Question:

199 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of cardiac operations carried out on public and private patients during the past year; if his attention has been drawn to the serious discrimination in waiting time between public and private patients seeking cardiac surgery; if he has investigated the reason for these differences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11310/99]

John Bruton

Question:

230 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason a person (details supplied) in County Meath who has been on the consultant cardiothoracic surgeon's urgent waiting list in the Mater Hospital since 1996 has not been called for surgery; the plans, if any, he has to provide funding to reduce the waiting list in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11663/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen):

I propose to take Questions Nos. 199 and 230 together.

As the determination of in-patient appointments is a matter for the hospital authorities in the first instance, based on a clinical assessment of need, I have asked the chief executive officer of the Mater Hospital to investigate the position regarding this patient. Given the particular circumstances of this case, I have requested that he reply to the Deputy directly, as a matter of urgency.

With regard to the Deputy's question, regarding the numbers of patients treated during 1998, I would like to state that my Department does not collect data on the numbers of private patients treated in commercial hospitals. However I can confirm that between the 1 January 1998 and 31 December 1998, 1,146 adult cardiac surgery operations were carried out on public patients and 145 on private patients in the public system. In relation to paediatric cardiac surgery, I am advised that a total of 243 patients were treated in the public system, of which approximately 183 were public patients.

The cardiac waiting list initiative is targeted exclusively at public patients and under the 1998 cardiac surgery waiting list initiative, a total of £2.3 million was allocated for the treatment of an additional 265 public cardiac patients. Due to problems of public capacity, my Department contracted with the commercial hospitals for the treatment of 100 patients. 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.

In 1999, I have made provision for the allocation of £4 million under the cardiac surgery waiting list initiative, I am currently finalising the arrangements for this year's initiative, which I hope to announce soon. I am confident that this will build on last year's success in reducing the total number of adults and children on the waiting list.

As Minister for Health and Children, my ultimate objective is to achieve an average six month waiting period for those on cardiac surgery waiting lists. I am confident that the development of additional adult public cardiac surgery facilities at St. James's Hospital, Dublin and University Col lege Hospital, Galway will contribute greatly towards this objective. 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.