Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I have a few observations. He spoke about the National Treatment Purchase Fund. In the mid-west, 500 cataracts operations took place, covered by the National Treatment Purchase Fund at a cost of €2,000 per operation, which amounts to €1 million. The aforementioned hub for cataract operations in Nenagh would provide value and enable people to have cataracts treated in their home area. I ask the Minister of State to follow up with the HSE acute hospitals division to get a sign-off on the €500,000 to enable the capital procurement to start to take place. We are looking for €375,000 for 2018 to enable the procedure and to get this measure off the ground. I feel passionately about this. It has to happen. We have 783 people, mostly elderly, waiting for cataracts operations in the mid-west for up to 15 months. That is inhuman and cannot be allowed to happen. I ask that the sign-off now take place for the capital to enable equipment to be purchased to enable operating to begin from the second quarter of 2018 and to ensure we can reduce the waiting list over time in order that instead of people with cataracts being obliged to operate in darkness for 15 months or more, they can at least enjoy their existence and be able to see things.