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Northern Ireland Demands Similar Waiting Times For Surgery

Friday 24 January 2003

The Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke Association has asked the Secretary of State to state categorically that the new standards promised by the Prime Minister for waiting times for treatment in England will apply in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke Association has asked the Secretary of State to state categorically that the new standards promised by the Prime Minister for waiting times for treatment in England will apply in Northern Ireland.

The Prime Minister, yesterday, promised that those waiting for treatment in London would have to wait no more than 6 months before an option of treatment in another Centre would be offered. This standard is to be implemented in the rest of the country i.e. England, by the summer of 2004.

Andrew Dougal of the Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke Association said, “We would hope that all patients will be given an option of treatment in another Centre after 6 months of waiting. This level of service should be implemented in Northern Ireland at the same time as it is implemented in England.

The NICHSA has been campaigning for 12 years to reduce waiting times for cardiac surgery. In recent months some progress has been achieved. However, the latest figures show that waiting times for other procedures have greatly increased and that the number of people waiting over the target time has increased very dramatically.

It is high time that in Northern Ireland we receive the same level of health care as has been offered in England. In March 2000 the Health Secretary announced the establishment of a National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease. This has ensured additional resources and great advances in the standard of care for heart patients but only in England. Similar advances have not taken place in Northern Ireland. The then Health Minister for N Ireland, Bairbre de Brun, told heart patients in February 2002 that she did not have funds for such improvements here. It is now time that Mr Paul Murphy promised the people of Northern Ireland that these same standards would be applied in the Province.”

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