Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

I call on the Leader to arrange a debate on health, in particular waiting lists at Beaumont Hospital, which is the centre of excellence for neurosurgery and neurology for the entire country. People who have had aneurysms are experiencing difficulty getting an appointment for an angiogram at Beaumont Hospital as it is currently only dealing with one appointment per day in this regard. That our national centre of excellence for neurosurgery and neurology is only dealing with five patients per week in terms of follow-up angiograms is unacceptable in any budgetary situation. I ask that the Leader raise this issue with the Minister for Health and report back to me in this regard.

I have been contacted by a patient who suffered an aneurysm in respect of which he received treatment at Beaumont Hospital and is recovering well. This patient is required as part of the process to have a follow-up angiogram within six months. Some ten months on he has been informed he may get an appointment in August. Surely, in terms of international best practice, Beaumont Hospital, being our centre of excellence for neurology, can in any budgetary situation perform a little better than five angiogram appointments a week. I ask that the Leader raise this issue personally with the Minister, Deputy Reilly, and that he arrange for a follow-up debate on the wider issue of the impact of the special delivery units on reducing waiting lists nationally.