Vol. 543 No. 1
80 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Health and Children the consideration being given to the possibility of patients on hospital waiting lists being sent abroad for treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25598/01]
The management of waiting lists is, in the first instance, the responsibility of the respective health board or authority and therefore any decision to source facilities abroad is made at local level.
Arrangements already exist whereby health agencies send patients to the United Kingdom and to the United States where there is not sufficient capacity in their own hospitals to have the procedures carried out and where specific expertise is not available in this country.
For example, between January and September this year, Our Lady's Hospital, Crumlin, entered into a contract with agencies in the United Kingdom and the United States for 54 cardiac procedures for children on the waiting list at the hospital. The North Eastern Health Board has contracted both ophthalmology and ENT services in Northern Ireland and last year, under the waiting list initiative and the North Western Health Board entered into a contract with agencies in Northern Ireland for approximately 140 ENT and ophthalmic procedures. These initiatives have contributed to the overall reduction in waiting list figures.
81 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Health and Children his understanding of the capacity issues and associated problems in addressing waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24836/01]
The Programme for Prosperity and Fairness outlined the commitment of the Government to review bed capacity in both the acute and non-acute sectors. A comprehensive review of bed capacity needs has been conducted by my Department in conjunction with the Department of Finance and in consultation with the social partners. The review has focused primarily on the emerging need to increase bed capacity and to have a strategic framework in place in terms of the number of additional beds required in the short, medium and longer terms. The findings of the review have informed the preparation of the forthcoming national health strategy.
The overall number of patients on waiting lists at 30 June 2001, as reported by health agencies, was 26,659 a drop of 5,192 or 16% on the comparative figure for 2000. Reductions in waiting lists have been achieved across each of the eight health board regions in the period June 2000 to June 2001.
The number of adults waiting for more than 12 months for treatment and the number of children waiting more than six months for treatment in the target specialties have both fallen by 20% in the same period. The overall target for waiting list initiative funding is to ensure that no adult waits longer than 12 months and no child waits longer than six months for treatment. Hospital waiting lists must be viewed against the background of a hospital system which discharged some 870,000 in-patients in 2000. The number of people currently on hospital in-patient waiting lists represents just 3% of all in-patient discharges in 2000. I will continue to focus on waiting lists and waiting times in order to ensure that services are available and accessible to those who most need them.
