More than 15,000 waiting over three months for surgery

More than 15,000 people are waiting over three months for surgery, it was revealed today.

The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) figures mark a 15% drop on last year but patient support groups branded the number unacceptable.

There are also almost 5,000 waiting for non-surgical treatment such as vital tests.

The NTPF was set up by the Government six years ago to tackle waiting lists, by buying up spare capacity in private hospitals at home or abroad for public patients.

Janette Byrne of Patients Together said the scheme highlights the high numbers waiting on procedures in the health service.

“The more people on the NTPF is highlighting further and further the need to sort the health system out,” Ms Byrne said.

“The figures are still way too high, unacceptable, and each figure represents a person in pain, a person in fear and a person suffering.”

According to the NTPF report, the number of patients waiting longer than 12 months for operations dropped 60% this year, from 4,594 in October 2007 to 1846.

Almost two thirds of those are in Letterkenny General Hospital, Sligo General Hospital, Temple Street Hospital, Limerick Regional Hospital and Cork University Hospital.

Overall 15,086 people are waiting longer than three months for surgery across the country in 44 public hospitals – a fall of 15% on last year.

On average, public patients are waiting 2.9 months for a procedure – the lowest figure ever reported by the NTPF’s Patient Treatment Register (PTR).

A total of 4,797 patients are waiting more than three months for non-surgical treatment, while 3,620 are on the list for diagnostic tests, such as a colonoscopy.

Pat O’Byrne, NTPF chief executive, said arranging treatment for public patients waiting longest for their operations has been the fund’s top priority this year.

“As the latest Patient Treatment Register figures reveal, significant inroads have been made into these longest waiters, cutting the numbers waiting by almost two thirds,” he said.

“The average national waiting time for all specialties is now 2.9 months, which is the lowest figure ever reported by the PTR.

“Since 2002 we have arranged treatment for more than 130,000 public patients and we are on target to arrange treatment for a total of 37,000 patients in 2008.”

But Ms Byrne hit out at the use of the NTPF, saying the money paid to private hospitals for the scheme should be put back into the public service to help slash waiting lists.

“There is a huge waste of public funds that could be pumped into the public service so that none of us have to wait any length of time and really get our treatment in a timely manner.

“The figures still reflect the suffering of patients.”

The Irish Patients’ Association welcomed the fall in numbers but said there was no significant increase in funding for the NTPF next year to reduce waiting lists further.