Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Before the pandemic, respiratory consultations made up 15% of GP attendances. While respiratory diseases account for less than 6% of inpatient discharges, they account for more than 12% of the bed days used in our hospitals. The developments in the CDM programme are welcome for people with conditions such as asthma and COPD but the difficulty is what happens when GPs makes that referral, because people end up in an Eircode postcode lottery. There is a stark contrast in the number of people waiting more than 12 months for an outpatient respiratory appointment in the regions compared to the number in Dublin, resulting in far poorer health outcomes. When will this Eircode postcode lottery be addressed?

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