James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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220. To ask the Minister for Health the reason Longford patients are now deemed to be outside the catchment area for the eye and ear hospital in Dublin; the new procedures that have been put in place to facilitate those patients from County Longford in need of appointments/operations and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54510/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The HSE endeavours to treat all patients at the earliest possible time and at a place of patient choice, however the HSE advises that patients should in the first instance be referred by their GP to the nearest available service to their area of residence. If a particular service or procedure is not available in the local area, the consultant should then refer the patient to the most appropriate service. In this regard the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital provides a national tertiary referral service for Ophthalmology and Ear Nose Throat services.