IRISH people living in Britain impacted by Northern Ireland’s spiralling hospital waiting lists may soon see relief under a new cross-border healthcare initiative.
The scheme, which officially launched Monday, allows NHS patients who have been waiting over two years for non-urgent procedures to access private treatment in the Republic of Ireland and claim reimbursement.
The initiative, backed by a £10 million fund, is part of a broader effort by Northern Ireland's Department of Health to reduce waiting times, which are currently the worst of anywhere in Britain.
In the first phase, eligible patients can travel south for operations and be reimbursed up to the amount the procedure would cost the NHS in Northern Ireland. Future stages of the scheme are set to include treatment options across other EU countries, although no date has been confirmed for that expansion.
"The second phase, allowing treatment in the wider EU, will move forward," a spokesperson for the Department of Health confirmed, according to the BBC. "But how far the scheme can go will depend on the uptake during the initial rollout."
The department is under a lot of financial pressure, grappling with a projected £600 million budget shortfall. This includes meeting rising healthcare demands and implementing long-overdue pay increases for frontline health workers.
The reimbursement scheme is part of a wider £215 million action plan to tackle Northern Ireland’s healthcare backlog. These include £85 million for urgent and critical cases, £80 million to build capacity within the system and £50 million to reduce the growing list of routine operations.
One new approach includes “mega clinics” aimed at treating around 20,000 patients currently waiting for procedures in ophthalmology, orthopaedics and general surgery. Operations such as hip and knee replacements, hernia repairs, and colonoscopies are among the priorities for clearing four-year-long delays.
This cross-border initiative provides an opportunity for patients in Northern Ireland and Irish residents in Britain affected by similar delays to receive the care they need while alleviating pressure on the overburdened NHS.
See More: Medical Care, Nhs, Northern Ireland, Waiting Lists
