Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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12. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the waiting lists for cataract operations in the south-south west hospital group (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20446/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Healy-Rae for asking this question, which he has raised with me and takes very seriously, about people waiting for cataract operations. I wish to acknowledge that ophthalmology waiting times in the south-south west hospital group are often unacceptably long. I am conscious, as the Deputy has made clear to me, of the adverse impact that can have on somebody's life.

Reducing waiting times for the longest-waiting patients is one of our key priorities. As a result of that, we allocated in the budget €20 million to the NTPF. We have also ring-fenced a further €55 million for 2018. This will mean more procedures for more patients.

In December 2016, I granted approval to the National Treatment Purchase Fund to dedicate €5 million to a day case waiting list initiative with the aim of ensuring that no patient will be waiting longer than 18 months for a day case procedure by 30 June 2017. This will mean that in excess of 2,000 day case procedures will be managed through this process and patients today are already receiving their appointments for such procedures. Based on his question, the Deputy will be glad to know that long-waiting ophthalmology patients are a core group that will receive treatment under this initiative.

In order to reduce the numbers of long-waiting patients, I asked the HSE to develop action plans for 2017 in the areas of inpatient day cases, scoliosis and outpatient services. These plans have now been finalised and I expect the HSE to get on with implementing them.

The HSE is currently finalising the report of the primary care eye services review, which aims to reorganise primary eye care services with an increased emphasis on maximising delivery of a comprehensive service in primary care. I meet a lot of people who say that more of this can be done in the community. This thereby creates capacity in hospitals to provide more complex ophthalmology services.

The HSE has advised that the south-south west hospital group is currently examining solutions for ophthalmology services across the group, including increasing the number of ophthalmic physicians in the group, which will obviously have a further positive impact. We intend to increase the number of physicians. We are seeing patients get cataract appointments now through the NTPF. We are about to receive the final report of primary care eye services review, which looks at what more we can do in the community. I know this is a very important issue in Kerry and a very important issue for the Deputy.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I want to be clear that this is of huge importance. People are going blind while waiting for their operations. I and a manager from a hospital presented the Minister with a plan specifically for County Kerry. We were talking about carrying out operations in County Kerry. When is that hospital going to something it did in the past, which is carry out cataract operations on people in County Kerry to specifically target that waiting list and to take people off it who have been waiting two, three or four years to have cataracts removed from their eyes? It is one of the most basic operations that can be carried out. If they were paying for it, it would cost about €2,700. It is a shame and a disgrace in this day and age. If it was happening in Africa, we would be outraged and asking how it could be allowed to happen in any part of the world. However, it is happening under our noses and in County Kerry. I have been highlighting it for a long time. I ask the Minister to answer the specific question about Tralee in County Kerry. When are we going to see operations being done in that town?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In fairness, the Deputy has been highlighting this for some time. I am grateful for the meeting the Deputy arranged for me to have. I see there is a willingness and a desire in Kerry to try to come up with a local solution to this. The Deputy will understand that through the NTPF we have provided funding for non-public hospitals in the private sector to apply for. The procurement and tendering rules are a matter for the fund. I am happy to follow up with the Deputy on where the proposal put forward by the hospital for a Kerry-based solution is at. I will revert to the Deputy directly on that.