Vol. 431 No. 8
46 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that patients who are on urology waiting lists are being sent home without the necessary surgical procedures being carried out and have to suffer the discomfort, pain and indignity of wearing a urinary catheter for prolonged periods; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The Deputy will appreciate that the medical treatment of a patient is a matter for the consultant concerned but should a patient be concerned about his/her condition, they should contact their general practitioner who is in the best position to stress the urgency of their case directly to the consultant.
The Deputy will be pleased to learn, however, that I have allocated £2,192,600 to the Western Health Board under the Major Action Programme to help reduce hospital in-patient waiting lists. Part of this money will be used to carry out an additional 250 urology procedures. I am confident that this level of additional activity will substantially reduce the waiting times for urology patients.
