Arthritis sufferer’s painful wait for a service that doesn’t exist

I READ with some interest your report headlined ‘Tralee waiting lists completely unacceptable’ (December 3).

Rheumatology (arthritis) services in Co Kerry are non-existent in the public hospital there.

Once a month the rheumatologist from Cork University Hospital (CUH) holds a morning outpatient clinic at Kerry General Hospital, 10am to 1pm, where between 30 and 40 patients, eight of whom would be new patients, are seen. A quick calculation — each patient gets six minutes with a doctor who may not even be the rheumatologist. I heard a rumour that people could avail of the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), so I telephoned the NTPF and simply said: “I am waiting to see a rheumatologist. Can you help?” Seems not, as the NTPF deals with ‘procedures’ — as in surgery — and rheumatology is a sub-specialty of internal medicine that involves non-surgical evaluation and treatment.