Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 20 Feb 1996

Vol. 461 No. 7

Written Answers. - Orthopaedic Treatment.

Declan Bree

Ceist:

149 Mr. Bree asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied) in county Sligo who was informed in writing by the North Western Health Board on 10 December 1994, that a request for an outpatient orthopaedic appointment was received from her GP and her name had been placed on a following waiting list and that she would receive an appointment at a future date; if his attention has further been drawn to the fact that this person, in spite of suffering great pain, has not been called for an appointment at the clinic; the reason he indicated in his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 49 of 4 October 1995, that the person was seen at outpatients on 9 December 1994; whether this level of service is acceptable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3873/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): The patient referred to by the Deputy was seen by a consultant orthopaedic surgeon on 26 August 1994 and again on 28 October 1994. Surgery was not recommended at that time and the fitting of orthopaedic appliances was prescribed. The patient subsequently sought a second opinion.

Due to a misunderstanding of the information conveyed to my Department at the time by the North-Western Health Board, I regret that my reply to the Deputy's previous parliamentary question of 4 October 1995 indicated that the patient was seen at out-patients on 9 December 1994. The patient was referred on 9 December 1994 to a second consultant for a second opinion but was not seen at out-patients on that date. The North-Western Health Board has now informed my Department that the patient has been placed on the non-urgent waiting list and is due to be seen by the second orthopaedic surgeon on 3 May 1996.

In all cases the priority accorded to individual patients is a matter for the clinical judgment of the consultant concerned and is based solely on the patient's condition and not on the length of time on the waiting list. Emergency cases are always given priority.

As the Deputy is aware, the reduction of waiting lists and waiting times for orthopaedic surgery continues to be one of the objectives of the waiting list initiative, on which a further £7 million will be expended this year. Despite the considerable progress which has been made in recent years, a great deal still remains to be done to bring the service to a uniformly prompt level of response throughout the country. I am committed to achieving this outcome as quickly as the availablity of resources will permit.