A straw poll of the number of operations cancelled in hospitals around the State shows that cancellations are higher among the bigger hospitals in Dublin.
The Mater Hospital had the highest number between January 1st and July 31st, with a total of 811 surgical and medical operations cancelled. The hospital said 7,042 operations had taken place during this period.
In Beaumont Hospital 670 operations were cancelled in the period January 1st to August 28th. Approximately 6,500 operations were carried out during this time.
In Waterford Regional Hospital 237 were cancelled from January to August. A total of 8,130 operations were conducted from January to July in Waterford. In Long ford-Westmeath General Hospital 38 operations were cancelled between January and July out of a total of 2,734 operations which took place.
The Master of the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Dr Peter McKenna, said four or five operations were cancelled in the Rotunda each year. This low figure was due to the fact that the same type of operation was conducted in the maternity hospital and so operations did not have to be rescheduled until the operating theatre became available for a particular type of operation.
When an operation was cancelled by a hospital patients were put back on the list for an operation within a few days, the hospitals said. There were a number of reasons operations were cancelled. There may have been priority emergency operations which would push scheduled operations off the list that day. Patients for medical or personal reasons may cause an operation to be cancelled. Consultants may cancel because they are on leave or have personal or health reasons.
Waterford Regional has broken down its figures to show that 48 per cent of operations were cancelled by the hospital, 35 per cent by patients and 17 per cent by the consultant, Cancellations were particularly high in January at 89.
Hospitals are not required by the Department of Health to present records of the number of operations cancelled and so hospitals do not monitor these figures.
Some hospitals and health boards contacted for the number of operations cancelled were unable to obtain the information as it would have to be done manually and would be too time-consuming.
University Hospital Galway, Cork University Hospital, Portlaoise Hospital, South Infirmary Hospital in Cork, the Eastern Health Board (covering three hospitals) and the Mid-Western Health Board (covering five hospitals) were unable to provide figures.