Alliance Party Spokesperson for Health, Kieran McCarthy MLA, has welcomed the statement by the direct rule Minister responsible for Health, Shaun Woodward, that Health Trusts will face financial penalties for failing to fix the exceptionally long waiting lists in Northern Ireland.
Mr McCarthy said:
“We are all too familiar with the horrendous waiting lists for all sorts of health treatments for patients in Northern Ireland, with some inordinate waiting times the worst in all of the United Kingdom. This initiative that Mr Woodward has announced should ease some of this suffering.
“While I welcome this initiative, the demand for extra nursing staff, doctors, and consultants remains an overriding ambition, and hopefully the Minister will get on top of this as soon as possible.”
ENDS