Confusion on future of treatment fund

CONFUSION surrounded the future role of the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) after the Health Minister said he had asked it to “cease making further commitments” while at the same time reassuring patients that they can continue to apply for procedures under the scheme.

Dr James Reilly said last night operations would continue under the NTPF “but not maybe in the way they did before” following his establishment of a Special Delivery Unit (SDU) that will focus on reducing trolley waits in Emergency Departments and on cutting waiting lists in the health services.

The NTPF has concentrated on cutting waiting lists since it was set up to do so in 2002 and it organises operations for qualifying public patients waiting more than three months for procedures.