Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent)
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705. To ask the Minister for Health if the long delays for operations and outpatient appointments in the urology department in St James's Hospital (details supplied) will be examined. [15214/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Improving waiting times for hospital procedures is a key commitment in the Programme for Government. As such in 2018 €55 million has been allocated for the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). This more than doubles its 2017 total allocation which was €20 million and reflects the fact that reducing waiting times for patients is one of this Government's key priorities.

On 12 April the Department , the HSE and the NTPF published details of the Inpatient/Day Case Action Plan 2018. This year will see a significant reduction in the number waiting for a procedure to under 70,000 by the end of the year - from a peak of 86,100 in July 2017. In addition, all patients who are waiting more than 9 months for a cataract, hip and knee replacement, tonsils, Gastro Intestinal scope or one of four other high-volume treatments, and who are clinically suitable for outsourcing, will be offered treatment in 2018. This means that all such patients currently on waiting lists for these procedures will be offered treatment this year.

In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.