§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons in Northern Ireland presently require heart surgery and await notification that bed space has become available in hospital; and how many heart operations have been carried out weekly in Northern Ireland hospitals during the last 12 months.
§ Mr. NeedhamAt 31 March 1988 the waiting list for admission for cardiac surgery totalled 707. The Royal Victoria hospital is the only hospital in Northern Ireland to provide cardiac surgery; the number of heart operations, excluding catheterisations, carried out during the period from 28 September 1987 to 6 March 1988 were as follows:
432W
Week Commencing Number of Operations 28 September 1987 6 5 October 1987 4 12 October 1987 10 19 October 1987 6 26 October 1987 5 2 November 1987 10 9 November 1987 7 16 November 1987 10 23 November 1987 7 30 November 1987 11
Week Commencing Number of Operations 7 December 1987 6 14 December 1987 8 21 December 1987 6 28 December 1987 3 4 January 1988 7 11 January 1988 7 18 January 1988 6 25 January 1988 7 1 February 1988 10 8 February 1988 11 15 February 1988 9 22 February 1988 6 29 February 1988 10 Information on the weekly number of operations carried out before 28 September 1987 or after 6 March 1988 is not readily available.