Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 16 Oct 2001

Vol. 542 No. 2

Written Answers. - Hospital Waiting Lists.

Bernard Allen

Question:

321 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the ratio of private and public patients on the waiting list for Cork University Hospital by speciality; the average waiting time for each of these categories; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23982/01]

Bernard Allen

Question:

353 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will ensure that all information requested from the Southern Health Board in relation to the level of private and public practice carried out by each consultant in each of the health board hospitals is supplied. [24308/01]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 321 and 353 together.

Private waiting list data is not routinely collected by my Department. Under the waiting list initiative which was introduced in 1993, dedicated funding is made available to health agencies to enable hospitals to carry out in-patient waiting list procedures for public patients. In order to monitor the performance of health agencies under this initiative, my Department collects and evaluates public in-patient waiting list figures on a quarterly basis.

I understand the Southern Health Board has provided information to the Deputy in relation to public in-patient and out-patient waiting lists in its acute hospitals as at 30 June 2001 and the mix between public and private activity in its acute hospitals for 2000. I also understand that the board, at its meeting on 3 September, agreed a motion to accept the report of their legal representatives advising that management could be in breach of consultants' common contract if information was released on consultants private practices without the individual consent of the consultants involved.

In a more general context, I am not satisfied with the degree of transparency attaching to the public-private mix in public hospitals. This is one of the issues to be addressed in moving to a more equitable and patient centred health system in the forthcoming health strategy.