Vol. 435 No. 1
170 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for Health when a knee operation will be performed on a person (details supplied) in County Mayo in view of the fact that, as a result of the delay to date, she had to move residence to be cared for by her daughter in the meantime.
The patient concerned is on the in-patient waiting list at Merlin Park Regional Hospital, Galway, but it is not possible to give an admission date at this stage. As the Deputy will appreciate, the scheduling of appointments and admissions is a matter for the consultant concerned and urgent cases are always accorded priority. Should the patient feel concerned about her condition she should return to her general practitioner who is in the best position to emphasise the urgency of her case directly to the consultant.
The Deputy will be aware of the £20 million major action programme which is now underway in relation to hospital in-patient waiting lists and which is specifically targeted at those areas of hospital treatment where long waiting times are causing the greatest hardship. The Western Health Board has been allocated £2,192,600 from the waiting list fund. This will enable the board to carry out an additional 1,884 procedures this year, of which 160 will be orthopaedic. This should impact significantly on the average waiting times in these areas.
171 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for Health when a hip operation will be performed on a person (details supplied) in County Mayo in view of the fact that she lives alone with her totally blind brother.
The patient concerned is on the out-patient waiting list for assessment at Mayo General Hospital, Castlebar but it is not possible for the hospital to give an appointment date at this stage. As the Deputy will appreciate, the scheduling of appointments is a matter for the consultant concerned and urgent cases are always accorded priority. Should the patient feel concerned about her condition she should return to her general practitioner who is in the best position to emphasis the urgency of her case directly to the consultant.
