Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The situation in Sligo may be significant, but there is also a very serious issue in respect of the outpatient waiting list at the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in my constituency. At the end of August, a total of 2,486 patients were waiting for outpatient appointments at the hospital. As Deputy MacSharry noted, the Taoiseach - who formerly served as Minister for Health - gave an assurance that there would be a time when no one would be waiting 18 months for an outpatient consultation. That objective was achieved in respect of the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in December 2015, but matters seem to have gone completely out of control since then. One would have expected that having solved the problem on one occasion, we could have kept that solution in place.

At present, many people are waiting for these operations to be performed. As the Minister knows, it is crucial that sight operations are performed early. The conditions are avoidable and reversible if treated early. However, these 2,486 people are dependent on the Minister to provide a solution.

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