Cardiac surgery waiting lists are maintained at four centres: The Mater Hospital, St. James's Hospital, Cork Unversity Hospital and Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin. Adult cardiac surgery is carried out at the Mater Hospital and Cork University Hospital. Paediatric cardiac surgery is performed at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin.
Public waiting list statistics are collected by hospitals and furnished to my Department on a quarterly basis. At the end of September 1997, there were 1,586 patients on the cardiac surgery public waiting list as follows: Mater Hospital, 902; St. James's Hospital, 511; Cork University Hospital, 64; Crumlin Hospital, 109.
The agencies have advised me that information concerning whether patients are medical card holders is not routinely collected by them. Patients are assessed solely on the basis of medical priority.
The Deputy will wish to know that I have recently approved a sum of £1.7 million under the 1997 waiting list initiative, specifically for cardiac surgery patients. As in 1996, the aim is to reduce the existing national cardiac surgery lists; specifically the number of patients waiting over 12 months. My Department's strategy for achieving this aim involves the purchase of additional cardiac procedures and the selection of suitable patients for medicial cardiac therapies. I am confident that this will impact positively in the cardiac surgery waiting list.
The provision of additional cardiac surgery facilities is a matter of national importance and one which will require significant capital and revenue investment over the next few years. The question of the provision of cardiac care services overall is under review at the moment. However, I hope to be in a position to bring my proposals to Government in this regard in the very near future. An announcement will then be made on the location of additional cardiac care services.
