Harney moves to reduce waiting lists

FIVE THOUSAND people on long-term outpatient waiting lists are to get earlier appointments to see specialists in private hospitals, Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney announced yesterday.

The National Treatment Purchase Fund is to implement 14 pilot projects in an effort to tackle out-patient waiting times

The projects to be managed in co-operation with 14 public hospitals will be based in the North-East two, South-East six, East three, West two) and South-West one, and will cover speciality areas where there are long waiting times such as ear, nose and throat, orthopaedics and urology.