The Irish Hospital Consultants Association says there's an 80% increase in people waiting for outpatient appointments at Mullingar hospital in the last eight years.
In figures published by the IHCA today they point out that the midlands region taking in Mullingar, Tullamore, and Portlaoise hospitals has a third fewer hospital beds that the national average, and is struggling to fill almost 1 in 3 permanent Consultant posts.
The Hospital Consultants Association is warning that a lack of public hospital capacity and Consultants across the midlands is resulting in increasing waiting times for treatment that is impacting on patient outcomes.
At he end of May there were almost 25,000 people waiting on outpatient appointments, inpatient/day case treatment, or procedures, at Mullingar and Tullamore hospitals.
Just over 11,000 were on the waiting list for Mullingar hospital, representing an 80% increase since 2015.
There was virtually no increase at Tullamore hospital since 2015, with 13,305 people on waiting lists there in 2015, and 13, 287 waiting at the end of May this year.
The IHCA says Mullingar hospital has seen its 'long waiters' for outpatient appointments and procedures increase by 17% and 20% respectively in the first five months of this year.
The association also points out that the midlands region is being ignored in the governments limited bed capacity expansion plans, with just 25 beds opened in the region since the start of 2020, out of a total nationally of 970.
It also says that Mullingar, Tullamore and Portlaoise hospitals need around 240 additional beds between them to bring it up to the national average of 2.89 beds per 1,000 population, which it says is also too low a rate.
