Cllr John O’Heney is calling on the HSE to establish a proper and regular Cataract Clinic in South Tipperary. The call comes in the wake of the HSE’s decision to cut the reimbursement fee for those travelling to Northern Ireland for the procedure. In 2021 Cllr O’Heney established the Sightsaver Bus project enabling people to avail of consultations with medical personnel from the Kingsbridge hospital in Belfast and to have the procedure if deemed clinically suitable. The Sightsaver Project caters for all types of medical procedures such as hip and knee replacements but the majority of procedures that people avail of are for cataracts.
Cllr O’Heney is highlighting that more than 4,000 people aged over 70 are on waiting lists for cataract surgery with 314 in the queue for over a year, including 97 waiting over 18 months. The Councillor proposes that the HSE use the hospital in Cashel as a base for such a clinic to help reduce the current waiting list. The model of delivery might also be a cost saving for the HSE instead of reimbursing the patients according to Councillor O’Heney.
“The HSE needs to do more and be more proactive in their response to delivering a better quality of service to the people of Tipperary” according to the Independent Councillor.
