Urgent action must be taken by the Department of Health to address the crisis within the State's neurosurgery service, a consultant neurosurgeon has said.
Ireland should double its neurosurgery facilities and almost double the number of neurosurgeons to meet international best practice, Christopher Pidgeon, a consultant neurosurgeon at Dublin's Beaumont Hospital, has told The Irish Times.
Mr Pidgeon made his comments following an inquest yesterday which found that a disorientated man with a history of falls could not be booked in for a brain scan for three months because of a long waiting list. The man had developed a degenerative neurological disorder and died as a consequence of this and a brain haemorrhage in 2004.
Speaking outside Dublin City Coroner's Court yesterday, Mr Pidgeon said Dublin had fewer neurosurgeons today than 28 years ago despite a huge increase in population. "There are also less operating slots for neurosurgery than 28 years ago. Something urgently needs to be done. It's getting worse all the time."
At present there are five neurosurgeons at Beaumont's neurosurgery centre. A further three neurosurgeons are based at Cork University Hospital. Next month, a sixth neurosurgeon is due to begin at Beaumont. This will make a total of nine.
"But we should have at least 15. At the end of the day, Dublin and Cork need an increase in staff but at the moment the facilities aren't there for that number. There are not enough operating theatres or beds."
He also said a dedicated helicopter evacuation service was needed to reduce the transfer time for patients in need of emergency neurosurgical operations.