Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 11 Oct 1994

Vol. 445 No. 6

Written Answers. - Cardiac Surgery Operations.

Noel Ahern

Ceist:

423 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Health the numbers on the waiting lists in the Mater Hospital, Dublin 7, for the various categories of cardiac operations; if the waiting list has increased in size over the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement on reports that the 1994 funds have been exhausted. [391/94]

Minister for Health (Mr. Howlin)

The number of people awaiting cardiac surgery operations at the Mater Hospital at the end of September 1994 was 1,460, which represented an increase of 162 over the figure of 1,298 at the end of September 1993. The compilation of the waiting list at the Mater Hospital does not give a breakdown of the various categories of cardiac surgery operations.

In 1993, I allocated a sum of £1 million from the waiting list fund to enable the necessary facilities to be put in place at the National Cardiac Unit, Mater Hospital, to increase the annual throughput of open heart surgery at the hospital from 750 to 1,000 — an increase of 33 per cent. In addition, in 1993 and 1994, I have provided capital funds which will facilitate the doubling of cardiac surgery at Cork Regional Hospital from 200 to 400 patients each year.

I have allocated in excess of £2 million in 1994 to the Mater Hospital for cardiac surgery and related developments. The development, which was completed recently, includes additional cardiac maintenance beds, intensive care facilities and high dependency facilities which are required to support the cardiac surgery programme. These new facilities at the hospital have now become operational and the additional cardiac surgery activity has commenced.

The developments at the Mater Hospital, together with the developments in progress for cardiac surgery at Cork Regional Hospital, will have the effect of increasing the number of cardiac surgery operations performed on an annual basis in the public hospital sector by 47 per cent from 950 to 1,400.