Hospital waiting lists fell slightly in the first three months of the year, according to figures released today by the Department of Health.
The figures show the number of patients on hospital waiting lists stood at 28,719 at the end of March, a fall of 398 on the figure for the end of December.
Hospital in-patient waiting list figures stood at 17,186, down 1,204 or 7 per cent on December's figure.
However, the queue for day case treatment has increased by over eight per cent or 906 to 11,533 on the end of last year.
Labour spokeswoman on health, Ms Liz McManus, said the figures show that "virtually no progress" has been made by the Government in reducing the numbers on the hospital waiting lists.
Ms McManus said: "These figures provide further evidence that the commitment given by the Minister for Health and the Taoiseach on May 6th, just ten days before the general election, to clear all waiting lists within two years, was a sick joke played on sick people," she added.
Fine Gael health spokesperson, Ms Olivia Mitchell, said today that a doubling in health expenditure over the past six years had led to "no appreciable reduction inwaiting lists".
She pointed out that the statistics refer to a period prior to the announcement of a number of bed closures and curtailments in other services.
"It is fair to assume, that given the deepening funding crisis in virtually every health board, where cancellations, bed closures and A&E overcrowding have reached crisis point in recent months, the current situationis far worse than in March last," she claimed.
Today's figures show the total number of children waiting more than six months for in-patient treatment in 'nine target specialties' has fallen by 35 per cent to 697 but there remain 146 children who have been waiting over two years for treatment. The number of children waiting over two years for day case treatment is 175.
The number of adults waiting more than 12 months for in-patient treatment in nine target areas has fallen by eight per cent to 4,782 in the period from December 2002 to March 2003.
However, 2,294 people who have been waiting over two years for in-patient treatment. The number of adults waiting more than 12 months day case treatment is 1,821.
The specialty of cardiac surgery showed a reduction of 20 per cent in the numbers waiting more than 12 months in the period while the specialty of opthalmology also showed a decrease of 20 per cent in the same three month period.
The figures show that to date 5,500 patients have received treatment under the National Treatment Purchase Fund.
The fund buys treatment in private hospitals for adults who have spent more than 12 months, and children who have spent more than six months on public waiting lists.
The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said: "I am pleased with the continuing reduction in the number of patients waiting longest for in-patient treatment, in particular, due to the work of the Treatment Purchase Fund."
