Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 May 2019
621. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if an appointment will be arranged for a person (details supplied); the timeframe for such treatment and the likelihood of the patient being scheduled for an early appointment; if there is a waiting list for this treatment; and if so, the action that can be taken to obtain the treatment elsewhere in view of the fact that the patient has a medical card but no means [18463/19]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
The National Waiting List Management Policy, a standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, since January 2014, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has been adopted by the HSE, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
