There were more than 29,000 patients on hospital waiting lists across the State at the end of last year, according to new figures released yesterday. The figures from the Department of Health show waiting list numbers dropped by just 157 in the final quarter of last year. Eithne Donnellan, Health Correspondent, reports.
This left 18,390 people on hospital in-patient waiting lists, which refer to those who need hospitalisation for at least one night for their treatment, and 10,627 on waiting lists for day procedures.
Overall, in-patient waiting lists dropped by over four per cent in the final quarter of last year, but the figures also show that lists at some hospitals increased significantly. The biggest increase was at Galway's University College Hospital, where waiting lists increased by 56 per cent. This represented an extra 299 patients on its waiting lists.
In-patient waiting lists also increased at Dublin's Mater Hospital by close to 5 per cent, at James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown by 7.5 per cent, at Limerick Regional Hospital by 7 per cent and at Cavan General Hospital by 16.8 per cent.
Meanwhile waiting lists for day surgery increased by almost 7 per cent overall. Here the biggest increase again was at Galway's University College Hospital, where the waiting list jumped by a massive 450 per cent, with an extra 99 people added to the list.
There was also a 153 per cent increase in the day case waiting list at Waterford Regional Hospital and a 20 per cent increase in the list at Mater Hospital.
The figures also show Beaumont Hospital now has the longest waiting list in the country. There are 4,240 people on its waiting list.
The Department of Health has attributed the reduction in waiting lists in some areas to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), which arranges for adults waiting more than 12 months and children waiting more than six months to be treated privately at home or abroad.
To date, more than 4,200 patients have been treated under the fund. In addition, it was found that 5,800 people were on waiting lists who should not have been there, either because they had their procedure carried out elsewhere, no longer needed treatment or had died.
The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said the work of the NTPF raised issues in relation to the accuracy of numbers reported to be waiting longer than 12 months for treatment. As a result, he hoped to soon bring forward proposals for a new system of management and organisation of waiting lists nationally.
Last night Labour's health spokeswoman, Ms Liz McManus, said the figures "expose as a deceitful pre-election con by the Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil" that hospital waiting lists would be a thing of the past by the end of 2004. At the current rate of decrease it would take up to 25 years to see waiting lists abolished, she said.
Fine Gael's health spokesperson, Ms Olivia Mitchell, said it was a sad reality that in 2001 health spending was €5 billion and 26,382 people were waiting for treatment. At the start of 2003, when health spending was at €9 billion, the number of people waiting was 29,017.
A WHB spokeswoman last night said the reason the waiting list figures at UCHG were so high was because the figures were inaccurate, and the correct figures would be released tomorrow.