Written Answers. - Cardiac Services.
Richard Bruton
Question:
71
Mr. R. Bruton
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
the plans, if any, he has to provide facilities in Ireland for heart corrective surgery which to date has required patients to travel to the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[14683/99]
I presume that the Deputy is referring to paediatric cardiac surgery, where a number of children with congenital heart disease have travelled to the UK for treatment.
The Deputy will be aware that paediatric cardiac surgery is carried out at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin. Following discussions in 1997 between the hospital and officials from my Department, it was considered that a range of measures should be implemented to alleviate pressure on cardiac surgery services at the hospital. This included the upgrading of the theatre facilities, which when completed will boost the hospital's annual capacity by an additional 100 procedures.
As an interim measure, it was agreed that the hospital should enter negotiations with suitable UK facilities for the purchase of additional cardiac surgery procedures and that resources would be met under the cardiac surgery waiting list initiative. Under this initiative 18 children were referred to the UK in 1997 and 30 children were referred to the UK in 1998. Last week, I allocated additional funding of £679,475 to Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children under the 1999 cardiac surgery waiting list initiative for the purchase of 35 additional cardiac surgery procedures from the UK, which includes associated transfer, pay and training costs.
The Deputy will be pleased to note that I have recently granted approval to the hospital to appoint a design team for the theatre development at the hospital. When complete the new theatre development will provide five new operating theatres complete with ancillary accommodation, a day surgery area and a central sterile supplies department. The existing theatre facilities will be upgraded to provide a further two theatre suites. It is expected that when these theatres are fully commissioned Our Lady's Hospital will be in a position to perform an additional 100 paediatric cardiac procedures, which is a 40 per cent increase on existing capacity. The estimated completion date for the development is 2002.
In addition, the Deputy may wish to note that I recently approved the appointment of an additional consultant cardiothoracic surgeon and a consultant cardiologist to Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children. I understand that the process of appointing suitable persons to these posts is under way and I am confident that these combined measures will greatly enhance paediatric cardiac surgery services.
In relation to cardiac surgery overall, the Deputy will be aware that in 1998 I announced the development of a national cardiovascular strategy aimed at achieving an integrated approach to the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. The proposals are built around three key initiatives as follows: the establishment of a national strategy to improve cardiovascular health; the provision of additional public cardiac surgery facilities for adults and children to tackle the backlog of patients awaiting surgery and to guarantee public hospital patients access to cardiac surgery within an average waiting period of six months of being placed on the waiting list; the development of a heart/lung transplant programme for patients with Cystic Fibrosis and other lung diseases in the medium term.
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.
The Programme for Government, An Action Programme for the Millennium, includes a specific commitment to support the establishment of a heart lung transplant facility in Ireland. As an interim measure, an agreement has recently been concluded with the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle for the treatment of Irish patients requiring a lung or heart and lung transplant. This agreement is for a two year period and came into effect on 1 April 1999. The agreement provides for a total of 30 transplants to be performed over the next two years, with a minimum of ten transplants to be performed in the first year, subject to the availability of sufficient and suitable organs.
I would like to take this opportunity to say that my Department values links with the above mentioned UK cardiac surgery sites and is glad of their continued support in the provision of treatment for patients with very rare and specialised conditions.
