Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 27 Jan 1999

Vol. 499 No. 1

Written Answers. - Hospital Services.

Alan Shatter

Ceist:

542 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of elective operations carried out in private hospitals or on patients occupying private beds in public hospitals in each of the past ten years; and the percentage of these operations when compared to those undertaken in public hospitals under the general medical services. [1252/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

My Department has no statistics on activity in private hospitals. In relation to public hospitals, data are not readily available in a way which identifies clearly persons undergoing elective operations who occupy private beds. Following is information on the percentage of principal surgical procedures carried out on medical card holders versus non-medical card holders for the years 1994 to 1997 – the years for which the most complete data are available – in public hospitals. The table should be interpreted in the light of the fact that the most recent statistics available indicate that 32.4 per cent of the population have a medical card.

It is emphasised however that the fact that a person is a medical card holder does not necessarily mean that he or she has sought treatment as a public patient. Likewise the fact that a person is not a medical card holder does not necessarily mean that he or she sought treatment as a private patient. Such a person may instead have availed of his or her entitlement to public hospital services.

Principal Surgical Procedures*

By Medical Card Procedure

Elective Admissions Only 1994-97**

Year	Patient Type	Non Medical Card Holder	Medical Card Holder	Total	% Medical Card Holder
1994	Daycases	64,270	32,443	96,713	33.55%
	Inpatients	61,174	43,204	104,378	41.39%
	Total	125,444	75,647	201,091	37.62%
1995	Daycases	75,162	37,910	113,072	33.53%
	Inpatients	59,870	44,783	104,653	42.79%
	Total	135,032	82,693	217,725	37.98%
1996	Daycases	77,687	47,238	124,925	37.81%
	Inpatients	56,385	46,617	103,002	45.26%
	Total	134,072	93,855	227,927	41.18%
1997	Daycases	80,687	54,551	135,238	40.34%
	Inpatients	55,404	46,108	101,512	45.42%
	Total	136,091	100,659	236,750	42.52%

In approximately 2 per cent of cases the medical card status was unknown. These cases are not included in this analysis.

Source: Hospital In-Patient Enquiry, 1994-97.

*Principal surgical procedure refers to the main surgical procedure undergone by a person who has had one or more surgical procedures. Each hospitalisation is counted separately in the above statistics.

**The coverage of the Hospital In-Patient Enquiry has been gradually extended over the years. Only for the years 1994-97 is the most complete and comparable data available.