The Minister for Health, Mr Micheal Martin, said today the Government's National Health Strategy had made significant inroads into reducing hospital waiting lists.
|
|
The total number of adults
waiting for more than 12 months for treatment in the target specialties has fallen my almost a quarter in the period June 2001 and June 2002, according to the Minister for Health, Michael Martin. |
On the first anniversary of the strategy, Mr Martin, dismissed claims the strategy was creating expectations that "couldn't be met".
He said waiting lists had dropped by 7 per cent and this was before the impact of the National Treatment Purchase Fund, which began operating in July.
In total, 24,850 people were waiting hospital treatment at the end of June 2002, compared to 26,659 12 months earlier.
The Minister said: "The total number of adults waiting for more than 12 months for treatment in the target specialties has fallen my almost a quarter in the period June 2001 and June 2002.
"Close to one person out of every four on waiting lists has been dealt with. Waiting lists in on target specialties have dropped by 22 per cent," he said.
However, opposition parties said the latest figures showed the waiting list objectives set out in the Government's strategy could not be met.
The strategy pledged to eliminate the numbers waiting for longer than 12 months by the end of this year, but some 7,890 adults were in this category at the end of June 2002.
