Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 25 May 1995

Vol. 453 No. 5

Written Answers. - Hospital Waiting Lists.

Éamon Ó Cuív

Ceist:

29 Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there is a four to five year outpatient waiting list in the Western Health Board region for people requiring hip replacements, with particular reference to a person (details supplied) in County Galway, in spite of the waiting list initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8920/95]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): The patient concerned was placed on the out-patient waiting list on 4 March 1994 and should be called for assessment within the next four years. As the Deputy will appreciate, the scheduling of hospital appointments is a matter for the consultant concerned and urgent cases are always given priority. Should the patient feel concerned that her condition has deteriorated she should return to her general practitioner who will be in the best position to emphasise the urgency of her case directly to the consultant.

The Deputy will 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 109 orthopaedic procedures. In addition, development funds of £400,000 were provided to the board in 1994 for the expansion of orthopaedic services at Merlin Park Regional Hospital.

My Department is currently seeking proposals from various health agencies for measures to further reduce hospital waiting lists — both in-patient and out-patient — under the 1995 waiting list initiative. The aim of the 1995 initiative is to further reduce the overall waiting time for patients in a number of targeted specialties, including orthopaedics.

The Western Health Board has also submitted proposals to my Department for the development of orthopaedic services at Mayo General Hospital and these proposals are under examination at present. I do not consider the current level of orthopaedic service available under the Western Health Board to be acceptable and I intend to effect further improvements in the service as quickly as possible.