Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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97. To ask the Minister for Health if extra funding will be found for Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital in view of the fact that the orthopaedic surgeon has said that level of funding for the hospital has been nowhere near sufficient to look after persons in a timely way and this lack of funding is preventing a person (details supplied) in Dublin 10 from having an urgent hip replacement which they are in critical need of; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4016/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The HSE has advised that it has been engaging with Cappagh Hospital on an on-going basis to identity potential initiatives that would allow for a reduction in waiting times for patients for surgery. The HSE has provided Cappagh Hospital with additional resources in 2015. The 2015 budget allocation process has made provision for the opening of closed and underutilised capacity at Cappagh Hospital. This will enable the opening of an additional 1.5 theatres per day, bringing the total to 4 and will allow Cappagh to increase activity levels. The hospital will target this new capacity to significantly address its current waiting list breach volumes.

The HSE has also advised that it will continue to engage with the hospital to explore mechanisms to ensure optimal use of resources, including theatre capacity, at the hospital within the overall resources available to the acute sector.