Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 June 2009
202 Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Health and Children if patients with scoliosis awaiting surgical procedures can be dealt with by the National Treatment Purchase Fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24568/09]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) was established to tackle the issue of excessive waiting times for hospital treatment for public patients. The Fund has been very successful in fulfilling this remit and has arranged treatment for over 145,000 patients to date. On average, public patients are now waiting 2.6 months for their operations, down from two-to-five years before the NTPF was established. For reasons of patient safety, highly specialised and complex paediatric cases like scoliosis cannot usually be provided within the private sector and it is best clinical practice that these patients are treated through the public hospital system.
The NTPF has arranged treatment for a limited number of patients with scoliosis to undergo surgery in a public hospital. No additional remuneration accrued to the treating consultant in respect of these exceptional cases, which involved patients whose medical condition was deemed clinically suitable for treatment in another hospital.
Contrary to recent claims, scoliosis procedures arranged by the NTPF do not cost two to three times that of similar procedures in the public sector. The NTPF negotiates competitive prices and no premium is paid for work done through the NTPF. The Fund will continue to deal with exceptional cases, having regard to the patients' medical condition, suitability and safety, as well as length of time waiting for treatment.
