Over 6,000 people nationally are waiting for an Ear, Nose, Throat (ENT) inpatient/day case appointment, with a quarter of those waiting for over a year.
This is according to figures obtained by Fianna Fáil TD Eugene Murphy.
Deputy Murphy recently tabled a parliamentary question with the Minister for Health in relation to the number of patients waiting for an ENT (Otolaryngology) in each of the CHO areas at the end of January 2018.
The figures revealed that nationally there are a total of 6,470 patients waiting for an ENT appointment, with 1,601 or a quarter of those people waiting for a year or more.
Deputy Murphy described these figures as “totally unacceptable”.
“The Saolta Hospital Group, which includes University Hospital Galway, Roscommon University Hospital, Portiuncula University Hospital, Mayo, Letterkenny and Sligo hospitals, had the highest number of people on a waiting list for an ENT appointment with a total of 1,839 –which accounts for 28% of the national total waiting list.
“A breakdown of the figures for the Saolta Hospital Group shows that some 569 people in that group were waiting for one year or more. This is symptomatic once again of a health service which is failing to deliver for people”.
Deputy Murphy called on the Government to address these waiting lists.
