Fianna Fáil TD for Roscommon/Galway Eugene Murphy has said that it is totally unacceptable that over 3,500 people across counties Roscommon and Galway are on a waiting list to attend a physiotherapist, with more than 400 left languishing for over a year.
Deputy Murphy recently raised the matter through a parliamentary question with the Minister for Health Simon Harris when he queried the number of persons on a waiting list to attend a physiotherapist in Counties Galway and Roscommon for 2016 and 2017.
“Once again it’s a case of long delays and more waiting lists – the latest figures I received in relation to physiotherapy indicates that there are a total of 3,586 people from Counties Roscommon and Galway awaiting physiotherapy services. A breakdown of the figures show that there were 3,132 people on waiting lists for County Galway in May of 2017 and of that figure over 1,000 were waiting more than six months, while 402 were left languishing on a waiting list for a year or more. The figures also show that there has been a 14% increase in the numbers on waiting lists for physiotherapy services in County Galway since December 2016.
“In County Roscommon there has been a rise of almost 10% in the number of people on physiotherapy waiting lists since December 2016 to May 2017. The figures for May 2017 show 454 people from County Roscommon on the waiting list with 19 waiting for six months or more.
“Physiotherapy is a vital tool to helping to improve strength, range of motion and endurance and also helps to alleviate pain for patients so it is simply unacceptable to see more than 3,500 people on waiting lists for these services.”
