James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

Earlier this year, I sent a message to hospitals to inform them no patient should be left waiting longer than 12 months for treatment. A patient left for longer than 12 months for an inpatient procedure in a hospital will be treated elsewhere while the hospital in question will be deducted the quantum required to treat the patient. We must wait and see what this yields by 1 January 2012. That is what I mean by transparency and consequence. There will be consequences for hospitals that do not perform.

Regarding the €29 million alluded to by the Deputy, much of that may still end up in some private hospitals or not. It is being used in different ways to achieve the best outcome. Some of our public hospitals are extremely efficient at delivering care and more cost-effective than the private sector. The revers situation is also the case.

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