Over 58,000 people are waiting for care across hospitals in the Mid-West as 1 in 3 Consultant posts remain unfilled.
Outpatient waiting lists at hospitals serving North Tipp, Clare, and Limerick have almost doubled since 2015.
The number of ‘long waiters’ on lists to be assessed by a Consultant has increased five-fold to almost 19,000 in past 7 years.
The local hospitals and services that are included in these figures are Nenagh, UHL and their maternity hospital, North Tipperary Mental Health Services, as well as the wider ULH Group.
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association says ongoing shortages of hospital Consultants across many specialties in the Mid-West and severe hospital capacity deficits are preventing patients from accessing the care they need.
Across Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary, there are now 58,774 people waiting for public hospital inpatient or day treatment, GI endoscopies or an outpatient appointment with a Consultant.
Eight Consultant Psychiatry posts are not filled in the three Mental Health Services of Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary bringing the total number of Consultant posts here that are vacant or filled by temporary staff to 76.
UHL has 10 vacant posts at present, while Nenagh and Ennis both have one each.
In the North Tipperary Mental Health Services 50% of the consultant posts are vacant or filled temporarily.
The worst affected specialties across the Group include planned care in Orthopaedics, ENT, Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Neurology.
IHCA President Prof Alan Irvine says meeting the healthcare needs of the thousands waiting to be assessed or treated will only be possible by urgently filling the one in three consultant posts and rapidly expanding the region’s hospital facilities.
