Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has said he is “very wary” about committing to reducing community healthcare waiting lists for children via a single budget as he is aware that the “need in this area is growing”.
Analysis of waiting-list figures across eight community healthcare disciplines at the end of June revealed that more than 42,000 children in the State have spent more than a year awaiting essential community-based appointments.
The Minister told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland on Friday that it is not a case of “what a single budget can do” to address the needs of children waiting for appointments.
“It’s a matter of what budget after budget can do,” he said. “I am so aware of the individual difficulties and anxiety and worry that is behind every single family and every single child on the list.”
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The Government has tried to increase the number of workers qualified to work in this “highly specialised” area, the Minister said, adding that it was a part of the State’s health and social services that has been prioritised “year by year”
Asked if the figure of 42,000 would be lower this time next year, Mr Donohoe said he was reluctant to make specific promises on numbers.
“I am very wary of making commitments that we cannot absolutely be certain that we can deliver, because the need in this area is growing,” he said.
“We will spare no effort in trying to put the resources and people in place to make a difference to all who are on that list.”
The Minister for Children, Norma Foley, has said she will review the Childcare Act which “is at the heart of how these matters are dealt with”, Mr Donohoe said.
He said that while no decisions have been made on the budget, the Government is looking at more targeted measures to address energy and food poverty.
“Child poverty is real issue that the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have identified for us, wanting us to make progress on,” the Minister said. He said the Government would “look at how we can bring forward targeted measures to help with that.”
