Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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382. To ask the Minister for Health if he has requested that the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, be used for treating adolescents who have scoliosis, particularly those who now have other health side effects such as decreased lung capacity, psychological problems and chronic pain; if these persons can seek treatment abroad to prevent being on the long waiting lists for treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6777/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Reducing waiting times for the longest waiting patients is one of this Government's key priorities. In 2016, I made over €11m of 2016 Winter Initiative funding available to provide additional patient treatment in 2016. Specifically €2m of the funding was made available for surgery for scoliosis patients. The Children's Hospital Group has advised me that, in 2016 over fifty additional patients were treated under this initiative.

The HSE has committed to submit to me by 17 February Waiting List Action Plans for 2017 to ensure that no patient is waiting more than 15 months for an inpatient, daycase procedure or outpatient appointment by the end of October 2017.

On 7 February a number of actions in relation to scoliosis were announced. Additional theatre capacity will be provided for scoliosis procedures in Crumlin Children's Hospital from April. An orthopaedic post in Crumlin will be filled by June and an Action Plan for Scoliosis will be presented to me by the HSE by the end of February.

The Directive on Patients' Rights in Cross Border Healthcare provides rules for the reimbursements to patients' of the cost of receiving treatment abroad, where the patient would be entitled to such treatment in their home Member State and supplements the rights that patients already have at EU level. Public patients may access the healthcare they require in either the public or private healthcare system of the country abroad under CBD. Access to healthcare abroad is based on patients following public patient pathways - i.e. patients must demonstrate they have followed the equivalent public patient pathways that a patient would follow if accessing public healthcare in Ireland. Referral for care under the CBD may be made by a GP, a hospital consultant and certain other HSE clinicians. The CBD excludes certain health services, e.g. services of public health, long term care, organ transplantation, etc. All persons on public waiting lists, other than for such exempt health services, are eligible for the Scheme.