Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 2 July 2025
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health
Management of Hospital Waiting Lists and Insourcing and Outsourcing of Treatment: Discussion
2:00 am
Mr. Bernard Gloster:
Dr. Henry might assist me with the Kerry CAMHS piece. He was previously involved in it, although to be fair it is not his responsibility now.
The Deputy asked a couple of questions there. The first was why people travel from Kerry for ophthalmic surgery in Northern Ireland? They do so quite simply because the demand is ahead of the capacity we could provide. We have made improvements to that capacity. The Minister opened an additional new cataract theatre in the national eye and ear hospital recently. I have asked the hospital how much facility it can make to the whole country to help us. Very substantial progress has been made in the Cork side of the south-west region.
On the question of costs, it is not a cost issue. When we refund Northern Ireland we do so based on what we assess the cost to be here. It is not that we are getting it cheaper. I regret that people have to go to Northern Ireland. I am glad they have that option, rather than having to wait, but I regret that they have to go. We are making some improvements on that.
I do not know if anyone here is a director of a company. I certainly am not. The only thing I was ever a director of was a school swimming pool, which never got opened, so I was not very successful. I am not a director. I do not mean to be facetious about that but I assure the Deputy that I am very happy to declare I am not a director of any private entity. I am prevented in law from being so, based on the position I am in, which is a very good thing.
Perhaps Dr. Henry will assist me with the question on CAMHS. I met Davin Godfrey. He is a fantastic young man and great advocate. He has the generosity to take what was a dreadful life experience for him and share it for the benefit of others. I have huge regard for him. On the pace of that review, it has picked up and I would like to see it conclude a lot quicker.
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