Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is a sad indictment of the situation that over the past number of years we have seen an escalation in the number of people waiting for inpatient day case treatments, with 74,000 plus now awaiting treatment. The waiting list for outpatient appointments has risen to 407,000 people. Over the past number of years there has been a due diligence process in place for assessing waiting numbers, so the lists are reasonably accurate. The previous Minister for Health set a target of 15 months, a less ambitious one than the Minister prior to him. Therefore, it is backwards we are going in terms of the adjudication of our success or failure in terms of our ambition. This issue must be addressed.

I understand the Minister has had a meeting in regard to the winter readiness programme and I acknowledge that at least the Department is preparing in time. One of the solutions to winter readiness is the cancellation of elective surgeries and scheduled treatments, but I do not believe this can be seen as a long-term sustainable solution to overcrowding in our emergency departments. The NTPF is in place and I hope it is used wisely and efficiently. However, the issue of the 407,000 people on the waiting list is a sad indictment on everybody, because these people are unsure of what is wrong with them until they get a proper diagnosis.

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