Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 October 2023
267. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Health if research has been carried out by his Department to ascertain the impact that waiting lists are having on the effectiveness of antibiotics which in many cases are being prescribed repeatedly due to the length of such waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45568/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is recognised that waiting times for many scheduled appointments and procedures were too long before, and have been made worse by, the Covid-19 pandemic. The Department of Health continues to work with the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to identify ways to improve access to care.
On the 7th of March, I published the 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, which is the latest stage of a new multi-annual approach to sustainably reduce and reform hospital waiting lists. The 30 actions in the Plan, which are governed by the Waiting List Task Force, focus on delivering capacity and reforming scheduled care.
For 2023, funding totalling €443 million is allocated to tackle Waiting Lists with €363 million of this being allocated to the 2023 Waiting List Action Plan to reduce hospital waiting lists by implementing longer term reforms and providing additional public and private activity to clear backlogs exacerbated during the pandemic. The remaining €80 million is being targeted at various measures to alleviate community/primary care waiting lists.
With the funding from Budget 2024, we are taking the next steps in the multi-annual approach towards achieving the vision of a world-class public healthcare system in which everyone has timely and transparent access to high-quality scheduled care, where and when they need it, in line with Sláintecare reforms.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) poses a significant challenge to human, animal, and environmental health. Ireland’s second One Health National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2021-2025 (iNAP2) provides a strategic roadmap for continued action to address the serious global public health challenge presented by AMR. A mid-term review of the Human Health actions in iNAP2 was undertaken in 2023 to ensure that ongoing learnings from the COVID-19 Pandemic are captured to inform the remainder of the lifecycle of the Plan. Monitoring and implementation of the actions under iNAP2 is ongoing.
The HSE has not commissioned research to ascertain the impact that waiting lists are having on the effectiveness of antibiotics. The HSE 2022-2025 AMRIC Action Plan sets out a range of HSE actions aligned to the five strategic objectives of iNAP2 that are under implementation.
The Department of Health is committed to continuing to work with HSE AMRIC, and to engaging with other stakeholders across the One Health sectors, to progress implementation of the actions under iNAP2.
