The announcement by the Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, that he is allocating £3 million to 14 hospitals for progress in reducing their waiting lists has been described by the Irish Medical Organisation as "window-dressing".
It said instead of making "piecemeal" allocations, Mr Cowen should make a significant overall investment in the health service. An IMO council member and former president, Mr Hugh Bredin, said the hospitals with the largest resources were in the best position to clear waiting lists. He said by giving these hospitals £3 million they were "getting a second slice of the cake".
He said hospitals which were already well endowed would be in a better position to clear their waiting lists, whereas other hospitals needed more doctors and consultants before they could significantly reduce their lists.
He also pointed out that waiting lists targeted under Mr Cowen's initiative were in-patient lists. "People can often be on out-patient lists for sustained periods and this area is not being tackled at all," he said.
The Department declined to say which hospital performed best since the start of the year, but St James's Hospital in Dublin received £330,000, the largest grant allocated.
Mr Cowen claimed the £3 million would mean a further 2,800 patients on public waiting lists would be treated this year. The hospitals are required to use the money to perform extra procedures.
Mr Cowen pointed out that the allocation of funds was weighted towards hospitals specialising in ear, nose and throat, orthopaedics, cardiology, ophthalmology, vascular surgery and plastic surgery.
He said that across the State waiting lists for the first quarter had fallen by 1,887. Waiting lists in orthopaedics were down 958, gynaecology was down 479, ear, nose and throat was down 459 and general surgery 409.
The payment of grants to hospitals which significantly reduced their waiting lists was recommended by the Review Group on the Waiting List Initiative. "I am confident that this money will help to continue the momentum that we have now established in tackling waiting lists and waiting times," said Mr Cowen.
He added that up to £20 million had been allocated to waiting-list reduction initiatives in 1999, compared to £12 million in 1998 and £8 million the year before.
He said many hospitals were contracting out part of their workload to other hospitals which had spare capacity.
The 14 hospitals receiving money are: Waterford Regional (£300,000), Tullamore General (£300,000); Sligo General (£200,000); University College Hospital Galway (£300,000); St Luke's Kilkenny (£100,000); the Mater Hospital, Dublin (£200,000); St James's, Dublin (£330,000), Merlin Park, Co Galway (£100,000); Tallaght Hospital, Co Dublin (£300,000), Letterkenny General, Co Donegal (£300,000); Beaumont, Co Dublin (£300,000); South Infirmary, Co Cork (£150,000); Limerick Regional (£100,000); and Mercy Hospital (£20,000)