Fund has prioritised hip replacement over cancer, says consultant

THE National Treatment Purchase Fund has resulted in patients on waiting lists with conditions such as cancer being denied treatment in favour of those with non-life threatening conditions such as hernias and joint replacements, a consultant has claimed.

The scheme has created a form of inequality on the waiting lists, according to Midland Health Board consultant Gerard Crotty.

He has suggested the €31 million pledged to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) this year would be better spent in permanent consultant appointments and hospital theatre facilities to assist more needy patients.