Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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1047. To ask the Minister for Health if additional surgeons have been employed to date by the Health Service Executive to carry out kidney transplants in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9; the steps taken to date by the HSE to reduce the waiting times for patients awaiting kidney transplants around the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31657/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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At the end of 2014 two consultant transplant surgeons left the renal transplant programme, one on retirement and the second on leave of absence for professional development purposes. Given the limited number of surgeons who specialise in renal transplantation, any vacancies pose a challenge. Every effort continues to be made to fill the vacancies.

Meanwhile the renal transplant service continues at Beaumont. There is no active waiting list for the living kidney donor transplant programme. The deceased donor transplant programme is dependent on the availability of suitable donors who can be matched with recipients. My Department and the HSE continue to work to improve organ donation and transplantation rates with the aim of reducing waiting times for patients.