Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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217. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons who have received treatment and the amount of money that has been spent to date in 2017 as a result of the allocation in budget 2017 for persons on hospital waiting lists to receive treatment in private hospitals, by hospital and by the hospital in which they received treatment; the number of additional patients who will be treated for the remainder of 2017; the total amount of money to be spent in 2017 under this allocation; if there is to be a increased expenditure on this method of reducing waiting lists for hospital treatment in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12529/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the reduction of waiting times for the longest waiting patients is one of the Government’s key priorities, €20 million has been allocated to the NTPF in the Budget 2017, rising to €55 million in 2018.

In December 2016, I granted approval to the NTPF for the first tranche of €5m of this funding to a daycase waiting list initiative with the aim of ensuring that no patient will be waiting more than 18 months for a daycase procedure by 30 June 2017. In excess of 2,000 daycases will be managed through this process. The NTPF is currently undertaking a tender process to identify participating private hospitals and expects that patients will start to receive their appointments in March. The majority of daycase procedures delivered under this Initiative will be in the areas of ENT, Ophthalmology, General Surgery Dental, Urology and Vascular Surgery.

The HSE is currently developing a 2017 Waiting List Action Plan for inpatient/daycase procedures to ensure that no patient is waiting more than 15 months by the end of October. The Plan is being developed in conjunction with the NTPF's approach for utilisation of its remaining €10m funding for patient treatment in 2017. The Draft Plan is currently being reviewed by my Department and engagement is ongoing with the HSE and the NTPF towards its finalisation.

During 2017 the Department will continue to work with the HSE and NTPF to ensure the best use of public hospital capacity and the private hospital system to meet the needs of patients waiting for inpatient, daycase and outpatient services.