Hospitals ‘not applying to treatment fund’

HUNDREDS of public patients in Cork could be removed from waiting lists if hospitals applied to the body charged with slashing the lists, it emerged yesterday.

The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), which buys treatments in the private hospital system in Ireland and Britain for patients waiting longest, confirmed that it has yet to receive submissions from Cork’s acute hospitals despite an expansion of its system.

Of Cork’s five public hospitals, only the South Infirmary Hospital, Cork University Hospital (CUH) and the Mercy University Hospital refer patients to the fund.

Labour TD Kathleen Lynch said their failure to apply for inclusion means people are waiting for treatment longer than they should have to. She said some people are waiting up to four years just to see a consultant. They are waiting longer for treatment.

The news emerged after Ms Lynch questioned Health Minister Mary Harney on the issue.

Ms Harney said the responsibility for the management and delivery of acute hospital services was a matter for the Health Service Executive (HSE), which is now preparing a response for Ms Lynch.

The HSE declined to comment before that response was ready.

But Ms Lynch said the situation was worrying and called on the city’s consultants, GPs and hospitals to co-operate with the NTPF.

It is understood the fund could treat up to 200 more patients a month from the Cork area alone.

Just 54 patients in Cork were treated under the NTPF last year.

An NTPF spokesperson said they are aware that orthopaedic patients in Cork are waiting up to four years to see a consultant.

“We are particularly looking at CUH for submissions in relation to out-patients in orthopaedics and ophthalmology,” she said.

“Cork has 12% of the national population yet only 6% of referrals to the fund.”

The fund began expanding its system last year by reviewing the needs of patients waiting longest on out-patient waiting lists.

Figures released last week showed that just 2,600 patients - or 6.5% of the total 40,000-plus patients treated by the NPTF since its inception in 2002 - were from the Cork area.