Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 3 Mar 1998

Vol. 488 No. 1

Written Answers - Hospital Waiting Lists.

Bernard J. Durkan

Ceist:

198 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the length of time by which he expects to reduce waiting list for surgery in 1998, with particular reference to the need to address life-threatening conditions or in cases where the patient is suffering severe pain and discomfort; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5833/98]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

I recently announced a series of initiatives aimed at reducing hospital waiting lists and waiting times in target areas, inlcuding the type of circumstances mentioned by the Deputy. These include—

— Where applicable, agencies have been notified in their determination of net expenditure for 1998 of the level of funding available to them for waiting list work. This will give agencies much earlier notice of the money available than in previous years and will enable them to plan their activity accordingly.

— Each agency's service plan must now specify targets for waiting list activity during the year. It will then be the responsibility of the chief executive officer-hospital manager to ensure that the targets are achieved and to take corrective action if necessary as the year proceeds.

— Agencies have been instructed to focus increasingly on waiting times as well as on waiting, with the objective of ensuring that children do not have to wait longer than six months and adults no longer than 12 months in the specialities targeted for attention.

— Where agencies have not already done so, they have requested to designate an individual to act as a co-ordinator of waiting list work within the agency and as a contact point with the Department.

In addition to the above measures, my Department has recently written to the agencies participating in the waiting list initiatives requesting further details of their targets for reductions in waiting lists and waiting times. When this information comes to hand my Department will be in a position to establish a more detailed national picture of what can be expected to be achieved with the moneys allocated under the 1998 waiting list initiative. In this regard, a total of £9 million has been allocated so far in respect of the 1998 waiting list initiative, with a further £3 million yet to be allocated, representing a 50 per cent in waiting list funding over the 1997 allocation.