Vol. 450 No. 4
93 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be called for an eye operation in Galway in view of the fact that this person is virtually unable to see and is in discomfort. [5271/95]
Limerick East): The Western Health Board has indicated that it expects to be in a position to call this patient for eye surgery in approximately five months time.
The Deputy will be aware that the admission of a patient to hospital is a matter for the consultant concerned, and is based on his clinical assessment of the patient's condition. Urgent cases are always accorded priority. Should the patient be concerned that her condition has deteriorated, 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 may also be aware that, under the 1994 waiting list initiative, a total of £850,000 was allocated to the Western Health Board for the provision of 1,222 additional procedures, including 450 ophthalmology procedures. This should help reduce the overall waiting time for patients in the specialities targeted.
