MORE THAN 3,500 extra patients a year could be treated at Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital in Dublin rather than be left languishing on waiting lists for surgery at other hospitals, its chief executive said yesterday.
Gordon Dunne was speaking after Minister for Health James Reilly opened three new operating theatres at the hospital. “We feel we have a solution here to a lot of acute waiting lists in larger hospitals,” Mr Dunne said.
Dr Reilly acknowledged the hospital, which now has seven theatres, had extra capacity which “we should be using”, and said there were other changes in the health service which could put Cappagh in line for more work. That would be looked at in consultation with other hospitals, he said.
There have been suggestions the orthopaedic unit at Navan hospital could move to Cappagh hospital in Finglas, but while Mr Dunne said “we could cope with any additional activity regardless of where it comes from”, he had not been involved in any discussions about the Navan issue.
He said seeing additional patients in Cappagh depended on money following patients which came to the hospital. This method of funding, which Dr Reilly wants to introduce for all hospitals, is being piloted at Cappagh since the beginning of this month.
Cappagh carries out surgery on about 10,500 patients a year and technology installed in the three new theatres allows the surgery there to be viewed anywhere in the world to allow consultants consult with colleagues on complex cases.