People in Co Kerry can wait almost a year for a CT Scan at Cork University Hospital, while Galway people can get a scan in nine days on average, it has emerged.
The lengthy wait in the Southern Health Board was revealed in a question to the Minister for Health and Children from Mr Dick Spring TD who asked why an elderly person in Co Kerry was unable to get an appointment for a CT scan at the hospital before October.
Mr Martin declined to give the information, saying it was a matter for the hospital and he had referred the query to the chief executive officer of the Southern Health Board, Mr Sean Hurley.
Contacted by The Irish Times yesterday for information on the background to the question raised by Mr Spring, the SHB issued a brief statement which said that "while it would be insensitive to discuss the medical treatment of an individual with the media, we can confirm that routine waiting lists for treatment do exist and patients are prioritised according to their medical needs. Should any patient require immediate medical treatment, they are provided with it."
People in Galway can get a CT scan in an average of about nine working days. University College Hospital, Galway, has 140 people, both in-patients and outpatients, on its waiting list and carries out an average of 15 CT scans a day, according to the Western Health Board.
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