Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 December 2004
99 Mr. Perry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the difference in the role of the national treatment purchase fund and the waiting list initiative for health boards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31794/04]
View answerUnder the waiting list initiative, which was introduced in 1993, funding was allocated to health boards and voluntary hospitals to: reduce the number of public patients awaiting elective procedures; increase the number of persons receiving elective procedures, inpatient, day cases; reduce the waiting times for elective procedures in target specialities; and improve the management of elective procedures, waiting lists and waiting times. It was a matter for individual health agencies to decide how best to use the funding provided to achieve the four objectives of the initiative. In practice, most treatments were carried out in-house in the hospitals concerned.
The national treatment purchase fund is one of the key actions for dealing with public hospital waiting lists arising from the health strategy. The fund initially concentrated on adults who have been waiting more than 12 months and children waiting more than six months for admission to hospital for surgical procedures. To date it has arranged treatments for 22,000 patients. In most instances, the fund will facilitate anyone waiting more than three months.
Most patients for whom the fund arranged procedures were treated in private hospitals in Ireland. The fund has also referred patients to public hospitals here and to private hospitals in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Patients can apply to their general practitioners, medical consultants or to their local health boards to seek to have their treatment carried out. Patients can also contact the fund directly on the LoCall number 1890 720 820 to have their treatment arranged. I have increased the funding available to the fund to €64 million in 2005 and I expect that it will be able to provide treatment for a further 17,000 patients during the coming year.
