Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Before I bring in Deputy Cullinane, I will make a couple of points. The Minister spoke in his opening statement about addressing unacceptably long waiting lists. I could go through the different sectors but he is probably aware of them. I will highlight a couple of cases of unacceptably high waiting lists that have come across my desk. These are not cases that involve my constituents. I am talking in broad strokes. A man from County Donegal needs his jaw realigned. He was supposed to get an appointment for an operation in 2020. It is now 2023 and he still does not have a date. Is that unusual in the Minister's experience? It seems a very simple operation. That man was waiting years before he got a date for an appointment, which was cancelled due to the pandemic. Three years later, he is still waiting. He has problems. He cannot get dental care. His jaw is locked. He finds it hard to eat. I am giving an example of the human figures behind some of the waiting lists. That is just one case. The man also needs his tonsils removed but cannot have that done because of his jaw issue.

In another case, a man was looking to get into an obesity clinic. The man has lost a leg. He is a farmer who lives on his own. Because of an inherited disease, he lost one leg. The other leg was then removed. He was trying to lose weight so he would be able to get another prosthetic. He was told he would be waiting for between five and six years to get an appointment for treatment.