Government to stop releasing waiting list figures

A GOVERNMENT decision not to release any more waiting list figures, in favour of a new system to be introduced in a year’s time, was last night branded a political stroke of the worst kind.

From next year work will begin on a new National Patient Register, to be compiled and maintained by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF).

The online register will be the first ever complete record of all surgical patients and waiting times for surgery.

However, since the Government has decided to cease publishing waiting lists, the move means there will be a void of information on waiting times from the beginning of this year until January 2006 when the register becomes fully operational.

NTPF chairperson Maureen Lynott accepted there would be concern about the rational behind the decision but stood by the move as a positive development for patients.

Although she said waiting times had improved, Ms Lynott also acknowledged the current system could not be trusted to represent a true picture.

NTPF chief executive Pat O’Byrne also defended the decision.

“There may be a bit of a vacuum in the meantime but that’s better than publishing figures that cannot be validated,” he said.

Mr O’Byrne urged patients to come forward to the treatment fund saying everyone waiting for surgery could be catered for in under three months.

However, Labour health spokesperson Liz McManus called the move a political stroke of the worst kind.

“Having failed miserably to honour their commitment on waiting lists, their priority now appears to be to cut off the flow of information to the public about the numbers on waiting lists,” she said.

Fine Gael health spokesman Liam Twomey also criticised the move. “No one has a problem with improving the accuracy of data, but failing to publish data until 2006 is a stunning political cop-out,” he said.

Stephen McMahon of the Irish Patients Association (IPA) welcomed the new system as a positive development.