SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan
In the Western Trust area, the longest wait for hip replacement currently stands at 296 weeks.
It was hoped that the Waiting List Reimbursement Scheme, which opened earlier this month, would help patients access treatment in the South.
However, further clarification requested by Mr Durkan on the two-year waiting criterion refers to the wait time after boarding for surgery rather than the total time elapsed since initial referral.
Said the MLA for Foyle: “It is unacceptable that people are being left in agony for years, their quality of life severely diminished, only to be told they may still be years away from getting the surgery they urgently need.
“This is the heart-breaking and frankly shameful reality facing many across the North, but a reality felt keenly in the Western Trust area.
“Forcing someone to endure pain for six years is inhumane.
“Without timely intervention, patient’s conditions often deteriorate further, placing strain elsewhere on the body, increasing reliance on carers, necessitating home adaptations and ultimately leading to greater costs for the health service. Critically, it undermines the patient’s independence.
“I’ve encountered too many cases where, after years of waiting, patients finally receive surgery only to be told they now require a second procedure because the other joint has been overcompensating.”
Speaking on the Waiting List Reimbursement Scheme criteria, Mr Durkan said: “The requirement that patients must have been ‘boarded for surgery’ for at least two years, rather than measuring from the time of initial referral, is a deeply disappointing decision.
“I’m worried that it will exclude a significant number of people who have already spent years in the system, waiting just to be added to a surgical list.
“Many will now find themselves shut out of this opportunity simply because of bureaucratic delays in getting on the list in the first place.
“This scheme may provide a pressure release valve, but we must not lose sight of the need to tackle wider health waiting lists, improve capacity, and ensure that access to care is fair and timely for everyone, regardless of where they live.”
