Vol. 559 No. 5
292 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will inform all those on waiting lists for hospital treatment of the possibility of their being eligible to avail of services under the national treatment purchase fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26640/02]
Arising from the health strategy, Quality and Fairness – A Health System for You, one of the key actions for dealing with the public hospital waiting lists was the establishment of the national treatment purchase fund. The NTPF was set up in April and referred its first patients for treatment at the end of June. Under this initiative patients can be referred to private hospitals in Ireland or the UK for free treatment.
The NTPF is initially concentrating on adults who have been waiting on in-patient lists for a surgical procedure over 12 months and children waiting over six months. The following measures have been put in place by the NTPF to inform patients: health boards and hospitals have been asked to identify public hospital patients waiting longest on in-patient lists so that they can be offered treatment under this initiative; a patient information booklet has been distributed; a Lo-call number 1890-720-820 has been introduced; an information poster has been circulated nationwide to Members of the Oireachtas, general practitioners, health centres, social welfare offices, citizen/community information centres, credit union offices and hospital out-patient departments will be circulated shortly; regional information evenings have taken place in Limerick, Cork and Tallaght in Dublin and it is planned to visit other areas in early 2003; and the NTPF has been running a media advertising campaign which this will continue into 2003.
Question No. 293 answered with Question No. 286.
