Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to bring the Minister’s attention to the statistics for several regions. In Waterford, for example, 27,156 people are waiting for an outpatient appointment, of which 11,127 have been waiting 12 months or longer. That is up almost 2,000 people since January 2015 and up 8,935 in a year. That is the way the trend is going. While there may be dips from time to time, the overall trend is in one direction and it is an alarming problem.

In Cork, the figures reveal 52,000 are on outpatient waiting lists at Cork University Hospital, the Mercy and South Infirmary Victoria. Almost 13,000 people are waiting longer than 12 months for an outpatient appointment. This is not for an inpatient appointment but someone’s first contact with a consultant. It is quite alarming.

Whether the Minister has to admit defeat or otherwise, I do not mind how he does it. However, he has to do something to ensure that these people can access treatments and additional capacity is provided. If it requires using the private sector, so be it. Something must be done and quickly.

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