Galway West election candidate Councillor Mary Hoade says it is time ‘dignity and decency’ were put to the fore of the Health Service. She is unhappy about the size of the waiting list for scheduled treatments at University Hospital Galway, and claims the issue will be tackled by Fianna Fáil if the party was to return to Government by reactivating the National Treatment Purchase Fund.
Fianna Fáil is also claiming it would convene a special task force to produce a plan to ensure that all scheduled day case/inpatient care is delivered within the internationally recognised target of six months. Councillor Hoade says a sustained focus on waiting lists and waiting times is required. “Up to the end of 2014 the target maximum waiting time for inpatient/day cases was eight months, and for outpatients it was 12 months. Minister Varadkar abandoned this for an 18 month target and despite moving the goal posts he still missed. The Government has since approved a HSE Service Plan for 2016 that leaves hospitals short by €100 million and the situation can only be expected to deteriorate further without a change of Government. Our health service is in crisis and this Government has no real plan to address it. We need a fresh start in health and a new approach that delivers real change and restores dignity for patients. The reality is we can’t risk more of the same.”
The numbers waiting for scheduled treatment in Galway have increased significantly over the past 18 months. Cllr Hoade claimed the National Treatment Purchase Fund facilitated over 33,000 public patients during 2010 and it proved very successful. “The average waiting time for elective treatment in 2010 was just 2.6 months, down from between two and five years in 2002. Since Leo Varadkar became Health Minister the number of people waiting for inpatient or day case procedures at UHG is up 54 per cent with almost 10,500 people on a waiting list at UHG.”
Councillor Hoade claims this plan will significantly reduce the hospital’s waiting list. “Where it is not possible to treat patients within a reasonable period, the HSE will make arrangements under the National Treatment Purchase Fund to refer public patients for treatment in private or public hospitals both here, Northern Ireland and abroad, having regard to quality, availability and cost. This will always be subject to the patient’s prior agreement. Fianna Fáil has dramatically cut waiting lists before and we will do it again.”
