Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 20 Nov 1996

Vol. 471 No. 7

Written Answers. - Hospital Waiting Lists.

Denis Foley

Ceist:

179 Mr. Foley asked the Minister for Health the average waiting period for bypass surgery; the number of such procedures carried out each year; the number of patients waiting since 1994 and prior to 1994; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22117/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): Admission for open heart surgery for adults in the public hospital service is determined having regard to the medical condition of patients. Admission is based solely on the patient's condition, not the length of time on the waiting list. As priority is given to urgent and emergency cases, routine cases for cardiac surgery can be on the waiting list for a considerable time and I have indicated previously how I intend to tackle this problem.

The annual activity for open heart surgery at the Mater and Cork University Hospitals has been increased by 450 to 1,400 per annum. Bypass surgery is one dimension of open heart surgery. In 1995 there were 957 bypass procedures performed on adult patients in the public hospital system.

The number of adult patients awaiting cardiac surgery prior to 1994 is approximately 820 while the number of patients on the cardiac surgery waiting list since 1994 is approximately 1,060. These figures are constantly changing as a result of patients receiving the operations and/or new patients being added to the list.