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

This question asks the Minister what he will put in place to assist the 4,038 persons waiting more than 18 months for an outpatient appointment in Cork hospitals and if he will make a statement on the matter. We have been highlighting this for some time. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan has been consistently raising the issue of the problems with gynaecological services in Cork. To give the Minister some figures, 4,193 women are waiting for an outpatient gynaecological appointment in Cork. This is the longest waiting list of all gynaecological units nationwide. The waiting list is twice as long as the gynaecological waiting list in the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin. One in three women will wait more than an year for an outpatient appointment with many having to wait two to three years. That is what women are facing in Cork on a consistent basis.

Rather than just visiting the hospital, there needs to be a co-ordinated response to address what is an alarming continual delay in accessing vital services.

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