Vol. 513 No. 1
451 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on whether it is acceptable that public patients should have to wait for 11 weeks before they obtain an x-ray at Tallaght Hospital, Dublin 24; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1413/00]
I have had inquiries made into this matter and have been informed that it is the policy of the Adelaide and Meath Hospital, incorporating the National Children's Hospital, to deal promptly with all urgent cases who attend the hospital and require x-ray examinations. For this reason there is no waiting list or waiting times for x-ray exam inations for accident and emergency patients or for in-patients at the hospital. I am also informed that the hospital endeavours to deal as quickly as possible with patients referred from its out-patients department, having regard to the fact that such patients have already attended the out-patient department and require an x-ray examination for investigative purposes.
The hospital categorises patients referred by general practitioners for x-ray examinations according to their medical priority and high priority cases are dealt with immediately. Should a general practitioner consider that a particular patient requires an x-ray examination as a matter of urgency she or he may also contact the radiology department directly to discuss and/or emphasis the urgency of the case. The hospital is conscious of the fact that waiting times for non-urgent routine examinations referred by general practitioners have expanded to a number of weeks in certain cases and is endeavouring to address problem. This matter will be the subject of discussion with hospital management in the context of its service plan developments for 2000 which will be held shortly.
