Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government makes a clear commitment to reduce the waiting times for surgery in hospitals. A lady from my constituency contacted me yesterday. She has a blocked artery in her leg which was diagnosed over a year ago, and she is scheduled for surgery in University Hospital Galway. Her appointment was cancelled and has been cancelled five times since. The next time it was due was next Tuesday. In the beginning, when she was diagnosed with the problem, the consultant prescribed the use of what is called an artery assist machine. She was told this would be short-term, but now her appointment has been cancelled so often that it has cost her €3,000 over the year. She is a medical card holder, but the HSE refuses to fund it. It is a continuing situation in our health service that people feel they are pushed to the back all the time and the cost is always put on the individual. It has to stop. The resources must be put in place to ensure that surgeries happen in the required timeframe.

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