Results 281-300 of 45,942 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: Based on its detailed interaction with individual hospitals the NTPF has identified a group of 19,591 patients who are reported to be waiting more than three months for specific procedures, mainly surgical, and the NTPF will target this group during 2004. There are 4,040 patients waiting more than 12 months for treatment included in the 19,591, who represent 20% of all those waiting. A...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: It has not been done by me or by officials in the Department but a multidisciplinary team with medical and nursing inputs. That is how this is happening. Those are objective facts. By arranging an estimated 12,000 treatments in 2004, the national treatment purchase fund will make further significant progress in reducing the average waiting times for surgical procedures. In 2004 I have...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: Therefore, the total amount of dedicated funding available to tackle waiting lists in 2004 — €75 million — is the same level of funding provided in 2003, despite the spin and misleading comments of Deputy McManus at the joint committee last week. However, the national treatment purchase fund now has the significant lead role in tackling waiting times and waiting lists. Opposition...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: Waiting times for surgical treatment have been reduced. In the specialty of cardiac surgery alone adult waiting lists have fallen by 90%, from 1,477 to 150, and children's waiting lists have fallen by 91% since 1997, from 109 to 10. One will never hear that from the Labour Party, the Fine Gael Party, the Green Party or Sinn Féin.

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: It has been a dramatic improvement because of increased surgical provision, new units in St. James's Hospital, in particular, on the adult side and in the Mater Hospital and Cork University Hospital.

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: The national treatment purchase fund has substantial capacity to treat patients and will continue to focus on reducing waiting times even further. The fund's target is to treat more than 12,000 this year and has the capacity to treat a minimum of 1,000 patients per month — 800 in Ireland and 200 in four private hospitals in England. Maintaining referrals at this level will result in waiting...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: Nearly 40% of acute hospitals will now refer patients who have been waiting more than three months to the national treatment purchase fund. Patients who have been waiting more than six months for treatment can contact the national treatment purchase fund directly or through their general practitioners to arrange treatment. We appeal to people to do that. While the national treatment purchase...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: These figures were objectively obtained. I do not have control over their compilation. Everybody knows about the system which is producing those activity figures in respect of who is being discharged from hospital. The system is independent from me and has been independent of different Ministers. That is well known. It is the bottom line. It might be hard to accept that but that is the reason...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: The single most important factor for patients who await admission to hospital is bed availability.

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: The extent of the shortfall in acute capacity has been identified by a report entitled, Acute Hospital Bed Capacity — A National Review, and it indicated a requirement for an additional 3,000 acute beds in acute hospitals by 2011. I introduced the first phase of this process in January 2002 which provided funding in excess of €117 million, capital and revenue, for an additional 709 acute...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: ——but little acknowledgement that 8,200 more nurses work in the system than in 1997 while the annual number of nurse training places has also increased by 67%.

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: In 1994, when Labour and Fine Gael assumed responsibility for the reform of the health services, there were 1,179 pre-registration nurse training places in Ireland. The issue of medical manpower was already a pressing issue, and nurse shortages were becoming a serious issue. In its programme for Government, the rainbow Government spelt out: "It is now a matter of urgency that the issue of...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: They have some neck. Many of the difficulties and delays experienced in emergency medicine or accident and emergency departments reflect system-wide issues. To deal with the current pressures on acute services both in the shorter term and in the longer term I shall outline briefly some of the key actions that I have taken. It has been widely documented that there are a number of patients in...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: All except a small single-digit number. All closed beds in the Mater hospital have been reopened. I will supply the Deputy with the figures.

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: As part of the winter initiative package in 2000-2001, I provided additional funding of some €40 million aimed at alleviating service pressures and maintaining services to patients. Part of this investment package was aimed at the recruitment of additional emergency medicine consultants and consultant anaesthetists. To date, 20 additional emergency medicine consultants have been recruited....

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: In 1997 when this Government came into power there were 14 consultant posts and there are now 51. I will deal with Mallow hospital later. The Deputy need have no worries in that regard. The Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats coalition has done far more for Mallow hospital than the Deputy or his party ever did.

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: The availability of senior medical staff in emergency medicine departments should facilitate rapid clinical decision-making, enhanced management, diagnosis and treatment of patients. With regard to primary care, emergency medicine departments sometimes have to deal with injuries and conditions which are more appropriate to a primary care setting. Government support for the development of...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: They voted for the measure and then went on before the last general election——

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: ——to promise free GP care for everybody, irrespective of means.

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: Where is the consistency in approach? There has been a dramatic increase in the numbers participating in the drugs payment scheme since it was reformed by my predecessor some years ago and which opened it up to the public to a greater extent than previously. There has been a significant expansion of that scheme in terms of the numbers who avail of it and in terms of the expenditure attached...