Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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139. To ask the Minister for Health if she will outline the current waiting lists for CT and MRI scans at Monaghan and Cavan hospitals. [24126/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Waiting times for radiology and diagnostic services have been recognised as an issue for some time. This year the Productivity and Savings Taskforce published an action plan for 2025 which commits to a range of services being available 7 days a week, including diagnostics activity. It will also ensure that all publicly funded diagnostics are captured in the National Integrated Medical Imaging System (NIMIS) by the end of 2025. This will improve care coordination and will reduce duplication of tests and procedures.

The NTPF is working to support access to radiology and in October 2024 it published a National Radiology Diagnostic Waiting List Management Protocol. As well as ensuring that patients seeking access to Radiology Diagnostic services are administratively managed in a safe, timely, fair, and equitable manner whilst waiting, the protocol will facilitate improved data collection and reporting about patients on Radiology Diagnostic waiting lists. A National Radiology Strategy has also been developed by the HSE and is under consideration in the Department. The Strategy proposes a number of measures to increase efficiency and expand longer term capacity.

The most recent report from the HSE for end of Quarter 1 2025 indicated that there are 1,807 patients waiting for a CT scan and 1,594 waiting for an MRI at Cavan General Hospital. This represents all outpatients waiting, urgent, semi urgent, routine and planned/surveillance.