Surgery delays as orthopaedic unit to close

ALMOST 50 patients will have their surgery delayed because of the closure this week of an orthopaedic unit in the north-east due to lack of funds, the Health Service Executive (HSE) said yesterday.

The HSE announced yesterday that the unit would be closed by the end of the week because a surge in priority cases undertaken had exhausted the budget.

The unit, based in Our Lady’s Hospital in Navan, was due to close in mid-December and had been operating on a three-day week since October 6 last in a bid to save money.

The health authority said it regretted that 44 patients would have their treatment delayed as a result of the decision to close the unit until the end of the year.

The HSE stressed, however, that the waiting time for orthopaedic procedures in the north-east was three months or less, which was below the national target of six months.

The authority set a budget limit of €622,000 for non-pay expenditure for the unit between September 1 and December 12. It said the money was sufficient to treat 187 patients on the treatment schedule, plus additional priority cases.

The HSE pointed out that 246 patients were treated between September and last Friday, a figure that included 138 who were on the original treatment schedule, plus 108 prioritised for treatment by consultants. Five further patients would be treatedat the unit this week. The HSE said its main focus was to protect the hospital’s emergency work and ensure that the quality of emergency and other services provided were not compromised.

Consultants said the budget was applied retrospectively and they were not told of it until several weeks later.

Labour senator Dominic Hannigan said the closure of the unit was a daft decision and should be reversed immediately.