Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 5 Oct 1999

Vol. 508 No. 3

Written Answers - Hospital Waiting Lists.

David Stanton

Ceist:

209 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of public patients awaiting replacement hip operations in the Southern Health Board region in September 1998 and in September 1999; the plans, if any, he has to reduce the current waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18587/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen):

The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below. The latest period in 1999 for which information is available is in respect of the quarter ending 30 June 1999.

September 1998	167
June 1999	133

In 1999, I provided a total of £1.145 million to the hospitals in the Southern Health Board area under the waiting list initiative.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that nationally the waiting list figures at the end of June 1999 show a reduction of 1,072 on the March figures. This means that waiting lists have fallen by almost 3,000, some 8 per cent, since the beginning of this year. The reductions in March and June 1999 are the first since December 1996. The results are the first time in which waiting lists have fallen in two successive quarters.

Since coming into office, I have taken an integrated approach to the problem of waiting lists. As the Deputy will be aware, I commissioned a review of the waiting list initiative. I am implementing a series of measures aimed at tackling the root causes of waiting lists. I allocated £20 million this year to agencies specifically to undertake waiting list work, with £3 million of this funding being allocated to the agencies which achieved the greatest improvements in their waiting lists in the first quarter of the year. This was in line with the recommendations of the review group report.

I also allocated £9 million to services for older people and £2 million to accident and emergency services, with the aim of freeing acute hospitals beds by ensuring the streamlining of emergency services and providing additional step-down and rehabilitation facilities for older people.

I am confident that the measures I have taken in tackling waiting lists represent the best way of addressing the underlying causes of waiting lists and long waiting times.

David Stanton

Ceist:

210 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in County Cork can expect to be called for a hip replacement operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18588/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen):

The Deputy will be aware that the provision of hospital services in Cork is the statutory responsibility of the Southern Health Board and the scheduling of hospital appointments within the board's area of responsibility is solely a matter for the relevant hospital to determine based upon clinical priority. I have, therefore, asked the chief executive officer at the board to look into this matter and reply directly to the Deputy as a matter of urgency.