Patients not referred for free treatment

CONSULTANTS in a number of Dublin hospitals and the midwest are still failing to refer patients for treatment under the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF).

Six monthly NTPF figures released yesterday show very low referral rates from the Royal Eye and Ear, James Connolly Memorial, St Vincent’s and Beaumont Hospitals.

There is also unused capacity in all surgical areas for patients from Limerick, Clare and Tipperary.

Consultants have previously been reluctant to refer patients on the grounds that money spent under the NTPF, which involves sending patients abroad for treatment, would be better spent invested in the Irish health services.

Fine Gael health spokesperson Olivia Mitchell said it was “totally unacceptable” that State-funded hospitals, and consultants paid by the State, should frustrate efforts to provide patients with further services.

She also called for the State to consider extending the NTPF’S role to include non-surgical treatments if it felt these could be provided more cheaply and efficiently by the private sector.

In February, Health Minister Micheál Martin transferred responsibility for recording and publication of national waiting list data to the NTPF.

Labour health spokesperson Liz McManus said they needed to know the reasons for the low referral rates in certain hospitals.

“I believe the NTPF should only be depended upon to meet the needs of patients on the waiting list when full capacity is taken up in our hospital system. But at the moment we have beds being closed because of the cutbacks.”

The Government earmarked €44 million to the NTPF in 2004 and the fund plans to treat more than 11,000 patients this year.