Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 2 Jul 1996

Vol. 467 No. 7

Written Answers. - Hospital Waiting Lists.

Peadar Clohessy

Ceist:

93 Mr. Clohessy asked the Minister for Health the number of patients on hospital waiting lists nationally and in each health board area, in each speciality, at the end of December 1995; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14212/96]

Robert Molloy

Ceist:

94 Mr. Molloy asked the Minister for Health whether all the targets set out in his 1995 waiting list initiative programme have been achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14213/96]

Helen Keogh

Ceist:

95 Ms Keogh asked the Minister for Health if he will identify any hospital or health board from which funding was taken back for failure to meet targets set out under the waiting list initiative in 1995; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14214/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): I propose to take Question Nos. 93, 94 and 95 together. The number of patients on hospital waiting lists nationally and in each health board area, in each speciality, at the end of December 1995 is set out in the following table which I propose to circulate in the Official Report. This figure is 252 less than that given in a reply to the House on 23 April 1996 when a figure of 28,004 was given. This was caused by double counting of 252 cardiac surgery cases.

The Waiting List Initiative, which was launched in May 1993, has been targeted specifically at those areas of hospital treatment where long waiting times were causing the greatest hardship. These include: orthopaedics (hip replacement and others), ophthalmology (cataracts and others), ear, nose and throat, vascular surgery (varicose veins), plastic surgery, general surgery, gynaecology and urology. The overall aim is to eliminate waiting lists in excess of 12 months for adults and six months for children in these particular specialties.

Under the 1995 initiative, for which a sum of £8 million was allocated my Department entered into agreements with health boards and voluntary hospitals throughout the country for an additional 10,394 in-patient procedures and 6,728 out-patient appointments to be completed by the end of 1995.

All agencies succeeded in meeting their agreed targets under the Waiting List Initiative 1995 and I am pleased to report to the House that the overall targets were exceeded. The total number of in-patient procedures performed was 12,861, while under the out-patient initiative a total of 12,078 persons were called for appointment. One of the main principles underlying the waiting list initiative is the concept that maximum value for money is achieved in respect of the public funds invested in the initiative. It is essential to the success of the initiative that agreed targets are met. I am committed to this approach and will ensure that a focus on performance will continue to be a central condition attached to any further funding provided for the reduction of waiting lists.

Total Public In-Patient Waiting Lists at 31 December 1995

	Eastern	Midland	Mid-Western	North-Eastern	North-Western	South-Eastern	Southern	Western	Total
Cardiac Surgery	1,701						116		1,817
Cardiology	845						29		874
Dental	43		184						227
Dermatology	15						8		23
ENT	2,049	485	119	214	488	652	359	327	4,693
Endocrine	30						4		34
Gastro-Enterology	104		4						108
Gerontology	1					5			6
Gynaecology	685	40	196	24	135	502	481		2,063
Haematology	3								3
Maxillo-Facial	299								299
Medicine	56		4	6					66
Nephrology	74								74
Neurology	89								89
Neurosurgery	286						29		315
Oncology	6								6
Opthalmology	1,095		470		98	88	197	311	2,259
Orthopaedics	1,989	561	701	328	272	535	1,009	796	6,191
Pain	102								102
Plastic Surgery	940						233	247	1,420
Psychiatry	23								23
Respiratory	71								71
Rheumatology	28							4	32
Surgery	834	148	278	278	286	613	351	191	2,979
Thoracic	36								36
Urology	629				146	9	257	388	1,429
Vascular	1,640	11	42	44	104	233	334	105	2,513
Sum:	13,673	1,245	1,998	894	1,529	2,637	3,407	2,369	27,752