Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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21. To ask the Minister for Health the action he will take to address the situation where at present only three out of seven operating theatres in Cappagh Hospital are being utilised, resulting in unacceptable delays for patients requiring vital surgery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27039/14]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, Cappagh Hospital, as with all other hospitals, must comply with its statutory obligations and remain within its allocated budget. The hospital must sustain a level of activity within current financial allocation. The current deficit at the hospital to the end of May is €820,000 with a residual deficit of €390,000 against an allocation of €23,487,000.

There has been a significant increase (46%) in the number of referrals to Cappagh. This level of increase is not observed in other sites and causal factors are being evaluated to ensure that patients are offered timely access to appropriate services. In terms of access, urgent patients continue to be prioritised and Cappagh Hospital has advised that due to strict chronological booking policies, all patients attending the hospital are being offered dates for surgery based on their waiting time to surgery with due regard to clinical categorisation.

At present, notwithstanding the increase in referrals, the hospital has less patients waiting over 8 months compared with 2013. The HSE is in active engagement with Cappagh Hospital to examine and agree options for optimising the available theatre resources and to ensure patients have timely access.