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National Treatment Purchase Fund.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 October 2004

Thursday, 28 October 2004

Ceisteanna (167, 168, 169, 170)

Bernard J. Durkan

Ceist:

165 Mr. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of patients treated so far under the treatment purchase scheme; the combined costs of such treatment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26613/04]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Bernard J. Durkan

Ceist:

167 Mr. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the extent to which waiting lists in respect of cataract removal have increased or decreased in the past 12 months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26615/04]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Bernard J. Durkan

Ceist:

171 Mr. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the reason it is necessary to send patients outside the State for various surgical or medical treatments while the facilities are already available here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26619/04]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Bernard J. Durkan

Ceist:

173 Mr. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the steps she has taken or proposes to take to address the anomalous situation whereby long hospital waiting lists appear to have become the norm, while at the same time, hospital wards remain closed or beds decommissioned due to a lack of adequate resources and staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26621/04]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 165, 167, 171 and 173 together.

Responsibility for the collection and reporting of waiting lists and waiting times now falls within the remit of the national treatment purchase fund, NTPF. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive of the NTPF to respond directly to the Deputy on the number of patients awaiting treatment for ophthalmology procedures. The NTPF has the capacity to treat more than 1,000 patients per month or 12,000 in a full year from the funding available to it. Since it commenced operations the fund has been successful in locating additional capacity, both here and in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland and arranging treatments for over 19,000 patients up to the end of September 2004. The majority of these patients have been treated in hospitals in Ireland. It is now the case that, in most instances, anyone waiting more than three months will be facilitated by the fund. The cost of the national treatment purchase fund to date is as follows:

Year

€m

2002

5.012

2003

30.057

Provisional Outturn

2004

44.00

Allocation

It is a feature of all acute hospital systems that some beds are out of use for short periods. Bed closures fluctuate over time and may arise for a variety of reasons such as ward refurbishment, essential ward maintenance, staff leave, seasonal closures and infection control measures.

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