Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 September 2023
281. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health what steps have been taken to ensure that patients seeking treatment for cataracts can expect to have their needs met in the shortest possible timeframe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40919/23]
View answerIt 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 2023 plan builds on the foundational work done through the short-term Waiting List Action Plan between September and December 2021, and the Waiting List Action Plan for 2022, both of which reversed the annual trend of rising waiting lists.
The 2023 Plan sets out the priorities to continue to address waiting lists this year. 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 being allocated to tackle Waiting Lists with €363 million of this being allocated to the 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, to implement longer term reforms and provide additional public and private activity to clear backlogs exacerbated during the pandemic.
The €363 million is targeted at reducing hospital waiting lists by 10% in 2023 as well as continuing to significantly reduce waiting times in line with Sláintecare recommendations. The remaining €80 million of the €443 million is being targeted at various measures to alleviate community/primary care waiting lists.
With this ambitious 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, the Department of Health, the HSE and the NTPF 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.
The NTPF has advised my Department, that they have approved 3 insourcing cataracts initiatives for funding so far in 2023, which will facilitate treatment for 2,900 patients on cataracts waiting lists. The NTPF has also approved 4 outpatient ophthalmology initiatives for funding so far in 2023, which will facilitate treatment for 8,600 patients on ophthalmology waiting lists.
