THERE WERE more than 19,000 patients waiting more than three months for inpatient treatment in hospitals across the State at the end of last month, the latest figures show.
More than 800 of them are waiting more than 12 months for surgical and medical treatment, according to a report from the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), which now manages waiting lists for all hospitals. It points out that the average waiting time for all procedures is now at a historic low of 2.3 months.
While average waiting times are down, more patients are joining waiting lists. The latest figures show there were 19,377 patients waiting over three months for surgical and medical treatment last month compared to 18,319 in April.
Close to half of all the patients waiting for more than 12 months for treatment are in four hospitals, all in Dublin. They are Beaumont, Crumlin, Temple Street and Tallaght hospitals.
While the average waiting time for patients overall is 2.3 months, it varies between hospitals. It varies from less than a month at South Tipperary General Hospital in Clonmel to 4.1 months at University College Hospital, Galway (UCHG), and 4.6 months at Temple Street Hospital.
The hospitals with the longest surgical waiting lists are UCHG, with 2,741 patients, and Dublin’s Mater hospital, with 1,533 patients waiting more than three months for operations.
The report does not include data on patients waiting less than three months for inpatient treatment.
Fine Gael’s health spokesman, Dr James Reilly, said the figures showed the Government had no real desire to end waiting lists. “Their desire extends only to keeping the NTPF in business, while Fine Gael has a plan to create a special delivery unit to permanently slash waiting lists so that the NTPF is no longer needed,” he said.