Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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390. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting for cataract procedures on national public waiting lists in 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018; the average waiting time to undergo required cataract procedures; his plans to further reduce the waiting times in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31859/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Improving waiting times for hospital procedures is a key commitment in the Programme for Government and there are a number of waiting list initiatives currently underway to improve access this year. In particular, the Inpatient and Day Case Action Plan which was launched in April 2018 and the allocation of €50 million to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) in Budget 2018 to secure treatment for patients and reduce waiting times.

The Action Plan targets a reduction in the waiting list for inpatient and day case treatment to below 70,000 by the end of 2018. Under the Plan, the HSE will deliver 1.14 million hospital procedures. The NTPF will deliver additionality to the health system with the provision of 22,000 Inpatient Day Case treatments through both outsourcing and HSE insourcing.

The Action Plan, building on the progress achieved last year, again places a strong focus on cataract surgery and commits to offering treatment to all cataract patients who are clinically suitable for treatment in an outsourced facility and who have been waiting more than 9 months for treatment. As part of the Action Plan, the NTPF is committed to providing 5,000 cataract procedures. NTPF authorisations are made in respect of the longest waiting patients first.

The NTPF advises that since December 2016 both the numbers waiting for cataract procedures and the average waiting time for treatment has fallen.

NTPF figures show that in December 2016 there were 9,260 people waiting for a cataract procedure and the average wait time was 235 days. By December 2017 this had reduced to 8,027 waiting and an average wait time of 195 days. respectively.

This downward trend has been maintained to date this year and the cataract waiting list this month shows 7,575 waiting and an average waiting time of 176 days.