§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give estimated dates when each of the regions and districts in Northern Ireland will achieve a target of treating 45–50 per million of the population suffering from kidney diseases; if he will indicate the progressions to be expected for 1984, 1985, 1986; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Chris Patten[pursuant to his reply, 26 January 1984, c. 647]: The treatment of end-stage renal failure in Northern Ireland is a regional service based at the Belfast city hospital. A new replacement transplant unit at the hospital will be operational within the next two years. This will increase the present capacity from 48 transplants to 60, that is from 32 to 40 per million population. In addition I have recently initiated a comprehensive review of services for kidney patients in the Province and I will be keeping in close touch with similar exercises which are being carried out in England, Scotland and Wales. It is not possible at this stage to predict the outcome of this review in terms of service provision since discussions are still at a very early stage.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will indicate the average length of waiting time for treatment for kidney patients in Northern Ireland; if he will give his best estimates of patients who die whilst on the waiting lists; if he give the age distribution of such deaths; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Chris Patten[pursuant to his reply, 26 January 1984, c. 647]: The average waiting time for haemodialysis treatment is about three months and for kidney transplantation between 10 and 12 months. Details of the number of patients who die from whatever cause whilst on waiting lists are not maintained centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.