Simon Harris: €7m ops to ‘put 600 people out of pain’

Health Minister Simon Harris expects 600 people awaiting orthopaedics, spinal, and scoliosis procedures to be removed from waiting lists by the end of the year.

In a statement, Mr Harris said €7 million earmarked for hip and knee replacements and scoliosis operations would help “put people out of their pain”.

The fund is contained within an additional €40m secured as part of the HSE Winter Initiative 2016-2017, unveiled last Friday.

Some €3m is earmarked for an additional 570 orthopaedic procedures at the National Tertiary Referral Centre at Cappagh, while €2m will be put towards additional orthopaedic procedures in Beaumont, Tallaght, Tullamore, Waterford, and Galway.

Another €2m is specifically to treat 39 adolescent scoliosis patients on the Tallaght waiting list and an additional 15 to 20 paediatric patients by year-end.