Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 19 Oct 1999

Vol. 509 No. 4

Written Answers. - Hospital Waiting Lists.

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

I am sure the Deputy will understand that the scheduling of admission to hospital is a matter for the consultant concerned and is determined solely on the basis of medical priority and therefore, length of waiting times can vary depending on the urgency of the case concerned.

With regard to the person referred to by the Deputy I have had inquiries made into this matter from the Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Dublin, incorporating the National Children's Hospital, and understand that the person concerned is on that hospital's waiting list since July of this year and have been advised of an estimated date of admission. However, as I consider the estimated waiting time for admission for the person referred is considerable I have asked that this case be reviewed by the consultant concerned.

The Deputy may also wish to note that the aim of the waiting list initiative is to reduce the in-patient waiting times in target specialties to less than 12 months for adults and less than six months for children. The target specialties are cardiac surgery, ENT, gynaecology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, plastic surgery, (general) surgery, urology and vascular surgery. This year the Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Dublin, incorporating the National Children's Hospital under the waiting list initiative received £447,000 to perform additional in-patient procedures. In addition, in August the hospital received a further £300,000 incentive funding under the initiative as the hospital had achieved reductions in its waiting lists in the first quarter of this year.