Nearly 500 people are on hospital waiting lists for treatment for chronic pain but there is no full-time consultant pain specialist in the State.
Of these the vast majority - 426 - are on the waiting list for the pain clinic at St Vincent's Hospital, Dublin.
The holistic clinic, set up by Dr Declan O'Keeffe, consultant anaesthetist and pain specialist, has built up a reputation over the years and has attracted a large number of referrals.
But without full-time staffing, the waiting lists have grown, according to Mr Nicholas Jermyn, the hospital's chief executive. "There is no full-time consultant in the country dedicated to pain management," he said.
"What has happened over a number of years is that the Government hasn't put in pain specialists," said Dr Eamon Tierney, secretary of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland. The service is usually provided by consultant anaesthetists.
Other hospitals providing pain management clinics include Beaumont and the Mater hospitals in Dublin, Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, Co Galway, and Waterford Regional Hospital.
Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Dublin, says it has been trying to put in place a specialised surgical post in urology. However, its attempts have been frustrated by disagreement over whether the service for the whole State should be provided by the hospital, as recommended by Comhairle na nOspideal, or whether it should be divided between Our Lady's, Temple Street Children's Hospital and Tallaght Hospital. "This is a matter of urgency but it is not within the power of this hospital to unilaterally resolve the issue," Mr Paul Kavanagh, chief executive officer at Our Lady's Hospital, said. Meanwhile, it is understood some children may have to be sent abroad for treatment.
St Canice's psychiatric hospital in Kilkenny used 36,708 diazepam tablets in the year to March, according to information supplied under the Freedom of Information Act. Diazepam is the generic form of Valium. The total cost of the year's supply was only £312.55. There is no reason to believe the prescribing policy at St Canice's, which has 140 beds, differs from that of other psychiatric hospitals.
Ambulances in Cos Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath have been equipped with cardiac equipment by the Midland Health Board. The ambulance drivers are now qualified as emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and since January each ambulance has been staffed by the driver and another EMT.
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