The more than 8,000 patients waiting an "unacceptable" period of time for an operation will have their procedure carried out by the end of the year, the director of the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) said today.
Ms Maureen Lynott said today 6,805 adults had been identified as waiting for more than 12 months in March 2002 and 1,500 children had been waiting for over 6 months on the same date.
She said almost 5,500 patients from these groups have been treated so far and the remainder would be treated by the end of this year.
Ms Lynott said all of the €31 million allocated to the fund this year would be spent. She presented a Patient Satisfaction Survey of 600 patients treated under the NTPF to the Minister of State, at the Department of Health and Children, Mr Brian Lenihan.
This survey indicated that 75 per cent of patients referred to the fund were treated in less than two months under the scheme.
Ms Lynott said improved levels of co-operation between the fund and health boards and hospitals had speeded up the rate of referrals. She added that difficulties with referrals to the UK had also been resolved. Only 100 patients have been treated in the UK under the fund over the last year, far fewer than the 800 anticipated.
However, Ms Lynott said many of the problems with UK referrals have been resolved and that 50 patients per month will now be treated in UK hospitals each month. The vast majority of procedures under the fund have been carried out in hospitals in the State.
Difficulties with Tallaght and Beaumont hospitals which were criticised for failing to refer patients to the fund have also been resolved, Ms Lynott said.
As of today, 130 of the 809 of the "long-waiters" at Tallaght have been referred while Beaumont has referred 346 of its 659 "long-waiters".
She also confirmed that Róisín Ruddle was not referred to the fund because the fund was not currently providing child cardiac surgeries.
However, Crumlin has identified 35 children who will require cardiac surgery from September this year and these procedures will be carried out in the UK and Baltimore, Ms Lynott said.