HUNDREDS OF public patients are waiting six months or more for colonoscopies at hospitals across the State.
New figures obtained by The Irish Times show 521 patients were waiting six to nine months for the test at the end of June, a further 95 patients were waiting between nine and 12 months and 40 patients were waiting for more than a year.
Another 1,474 patients were waiting between three and six months for the examination, which can be crucial in detecting bowel cancer and other conditions.
Urgent colonoscopies must take place within four weeks, but these latest figures show those cases scheduled as non-urgent can be waiting for significant periods, and that the numbers waiting are increasing.
While there were 848 patients waiting more than three months for a colonoscopy in March 2010, this increased to 1,854 at the end of March this year, and now stands at 2,130.
Dr Stephen Patchett, consultant gastroenterologist at Beaumont Hospital, said nobody should have to wait more than three months for a colonoscopy. Waiting times were very variable, he said, because of the way some units were resourced.
“There are patients out there waiting more than six months for a colonoscopy . . . and it’s not because doctors aren’t working hard, it’s not because people aren’t being put through the system as quickly as possible. It’s simply due to lack of resources, lack of doctors, lack of endoscopy nurses . . . so that’s the problem,” he said.
He was speaking at the publication of details of a new standardised endoscopy training programme for junior doctors developed by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
Dr Patchett said it was immensely difficult for clinicians to decide which cases were urgent and which were not, as well as who shouldn’t be referred at all for a colonoscopy, given some people were walking around with no symptoms but actually had bowel cancer.
“Because everybody potentially of a certain age with bleeding, altered bowel habit, abdominal pain, theoretically has bowel cancer . . . how do you really determine who is urgent and who isn’t?” he asked.
The hospitals with significant numbers waiting six to nine months for colonoscopies include Beaumont (206), Letterkenny (56), Limerick Regional (58), Mercy Hospital Cork (48) and St Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny (61).
St Luke’s Hospital has most patients waiting nine to 12 months (20) and has nine patients waiting more than a year for the test. The Mercy Hospital has 12 patients waiting more than a year.
Patients waiting longer than three months for a colonoscopy can contact the National Treatment Purchase Fund on 1890-720820 to see if they are eligible for treatment. The fund buys private treatment for public patients waiting in excess of three months for care.