Derry Council to write to health ministers to sort out waiting lists

Derry and Strabane Council will write to health ministers in the North and South to seek solutions to ease hospital waiting lists.

A motion was brought by Cllr Sandra Duffy at the February Full Council meeting to call on Minister of Health Robin Swan to address the issue.

“Your health is your wealth but unfortunately we're receiving calls to our constituency office from people who are on increasingly long waiting lists all too often,” the Sinn Féin councillor said.

“Waiting lists for hip or knee replacements, cataract removals, even cardiac services. People who are in severe pain, and elderly people who have been told that even though they're in chronic pain, that they will have to wait up to seven years for the vital surgery that will give them some ease.

She said some people on the waiting lists fear they are losing their independence.

“Whilst the Health Service is facing many difficulties and challenges this is one challenge that could have been avoided. This is the outworking of a disastrous Brexit where people in the North have been unfairly disadvantaged against their will and people have been forced to live in pain and with sight loss due to a Tory and DUP agenda.

“The EU cross-border health directive closed on 31 December 2020 as Brexit took hold and then in June 2021 Health Minister Robin Swann, in the face of growing waiting lists, opened another temporary scheme to mitigate against the impact of this closure. This was most welcome and helped to address some of the long waiting lists. This scheme managed to assist almost 3,500 patients across the North, with 700 of those coming from the Western Trust area.

“Unfortunately this scheme also closed in September 2022, leaving far too many of our residents languishing on waiting lists for elective surgery with their health deteriorating and health needs becoming more and more complex and life-changing.”

Cllr Catherine McDaid proposed an amendment to the motion that would see the letter be sent to the Republic's Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly.

“I think it's right that this motion is brought now. Reducing waiting lists has to be a top priority for the executive now that it has been reformed,” the SDLP councillor said.

“One in three people in the North of Ireland is on a waiting list for the hospital. It's completely unacceptable.

“My mammy has been on a waiting list for surgery for almost six years and when you think about those six years, how many more people have been added? How many people have been living in pain? Being cared for by their families who are now burnt out by carer's fatigue? How many people have died while sitting on a waiting list for surgery that could have reduced their pain, removed it and improved their quality of life?”

Her amendment proposed that the letter also be sent to Stephen Donnelly TD, Minister for Health, and will include a request that they collaborate on extending the cross-border health directive benefits to visa nationals residing and employed in the North, adhering to the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly's recommendations in their Protecting the Common Travel Area in the post-Brexit era report.

Alderman Chelsea Cooke said people are ‘fed up’ with waiting times.

“High waiting times are deepening Northern Ireland's inequalities. New figures show growth in our hospital waiting times. People are stressed and quite frankly fed up waiting years for their treatments, appointments, surgeries, whatever it may be,” the DUP councillor said.

“An increasing number are now choosing to self-fund private healthcare due to these long waits and Northern Ireland's patient population shouldn't be in a position where some can afford to pay for treatment and others can't.

“Reopening cross-border healthcare and any other recommendation is welcome and we fully support it as long as it is cost-effective and can help the strain on our hospitals.”

They said the Health Minister must invest in ensuring hospitals are staffed appropriately quickly 'before we are left with a two-tiered system'.

The motion and amendment passed unanimously.