AN extra £7 million is to be spent this year to reduce hospital waiting lists, the Minister for Health has announced.
A total of 7,800 in patient procedures and 1,500 out patient appointments will be financed by the initiative.
This is the fourth annual waiting lists initiative since 1993.
Of the money, £1 million is earmarked for heart surgery for 200 patients and treatment for a further 100 heart patients. The State will pay for patients to receive their surgery at the Mater Private Hospital and Blackrock Clinic in Dublin and the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast.
These hospitals are being used because it will take two to three years to put extra surgical capacity into the public hospitals, Mr Noonan said.
The areas in which the greatest numbers of additional procedures will be funded under the initiative are ear, nose and throat 1,600, general surgery 1,600 and orthopaedics, including hip/knee replacements, 1,100.
The cuts in out patient waiting lists will be concentrated in the Eastern, North Eastern and Southern Health Boards.
The Eastern Health Board will get £3 million, with the other boards receiving sums ranging from £190,000 (Midland Health Board) to £580,000 (Southern Health Board).
Work done under the initiative must be additional to what has already been budgeted for. Targets will have to be agreed with the Department of Health, and if these are not achieved, some of the money will be taken back.