A reduction of almost 4,000 was recorded for inpatient hospital waiting lists over 2002, but over 29,000 people were still on waiting lists at the end of last December.
According to waiting list figures published today, there were 3,958 fewer patients awaiting in-patient (overnight) care in the country's hospitals at the end of December than at the same time in 2001. The same figures, however, represent a rise of 300 on the September 2002 figure.
The statistics published by the Department of Health today were two months later than usual, but contained some good news for beleaguered Health Minister Mr Micheal Martin.
The numbers of adults waiting the longest for inpatient treatment (12 months plus) fell by 30 per cent (from 7,402 to 5,209) last year. Likewise the number of children waiting more than six months for treatment fell by 31 per cent (1,576 to 1.081).
However, a total of 10,627 people were waiting for day-care treatment at the end of last December, an increase of 689 from September 2002.
The official figure for those on inpatient waiting lists stands at 18,390. However, using the same classification procedures as previous years the figure is adjusted to 22,168.
Opposition parties have rushed to criticise the figures. Labour's spokesperson on health Ms Liz McManus stated that the rate of reduction of the waiting lists was "extremely slow".
"Any reduction in waiting lists is welcome - at the current rate however it will take up to 25 years to abolish waiting lists," she claimed.
She added that the figures did not take into account the impact of the closures of hospital beds in more recent months as well as the layoff of hospital staff.
Fine Gael's health spokesperson Ms Olivia Mitchell stated that today's figures were "merely of historic interest to us now."
"We will have to wait another five months to discover the full impact of recent cutbacks," she added.