Balancing the books on health
OUTPATIENT waiting lists in Northern Ireland hospitals have risen dramatically over the winter, leaving Health Minister Michael McGimpsey to bemoan the shortage of finance in his allocated budget from the Assembly.
Health Service targets aim for a patient receiving a hospital appointment within nine weeks, but the number unable to be given a medical check within this timescale has risen from 4,500 in September last to almost 16,000 in December.
Several factors are responsible for the substantial increase – health trusts suspending their waiting list work for a period until they knew what their budget was going to be and the early effects of the exceptionally harsh winter placed a strain on hospitals fulfilling their targeted appointment rotas.
Michael McGimpsey oversees the Assembly department with the largest budget (50 per cent of the full Treasury allocation), but, such is the unlimited expanse of health requirements, he has some justification in saying that there can never be enough money for demands made.
However, there are parts of the Health Service, mainly in administration, that could do with a considerable trimming.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 5 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North west
