More than 3,000 waiting over a year for surgery, figures show

MORE than 3,000 people have been waiting longer than a year for surgery and other hospital treatments.

New figures show 199 children are waiting for operations in Crumlin Hospital in Dublin and 138 children are waiting for treatment elsewhere.

A man in his sixties has been waiting for more than four months for open heart surgery in Saint James’ Hospital in Dublin.

The hospital said they don’t know when they will be able to accommodate him due to a lack of beds.

In total, 13,000 people around the country have been on waiting lists of longer than three months.

This is despite a Government promise in the 2001 Health Strategy that no public patient would have to wait longer than three months for medical treatment by 2004.

Labour Party Health spokesperson, Liz McManus said the figures show that the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has run out of money for this year.

The fund allows patients who have been waiting for longer than three months to access private care in Ireland, Britain and — in some cases — the United States.

Ms McManus said she suspects the budget to pay for private care under the NTPF is “drying out.”

She said the target set out by the Government has been “spectacularly missed” and that the success of the NTPF has been limited.

“The reality is that I have people coming to me who are just desperate for treatment. I know an old woman who had atrocious back pain and she was waiting for months for an operation. These people should be prioritised,” she said.

“One man is waiting four months for open heart surgery and his family are going crazy. The Government is incapable of determining the number of beds needed and providing them,” she said.

The figures also show that 150 people, mainly senior citizens, have been kept waiting for more than a year for hip replacements.

In Saint Vincent’s Hospital, 175 people have been waiting more than three months for treatment to relieve chronic pain.

Sixty-six of those have been waiting for more than a year.

And 133 people are waiting for treatment for heart problems in the Mater Hospital, 50 in Beaumont and 13 in Saint Vincent’s.

Cork University Hospital and Tallaght Hospital both have about 200 people on waiting lists for surgery.

Ms McManus said: “The life of all 13,000 of these patients is effectively on hold, while the health service that they paid for struggles to keep up with the demands placed on it.”