The issue of huge waiting lists for treatment of patients in the west and north-west is to be raised in the Dail this evening.
Sligo/Leitrim independent Deputy Marian Harkin says the issuing of a statement this week by the Irish Hospital Consultants Association shows how dire the situation is in that part of the country.
The IHCA is warning that the growing shortage of essential acute hospital beds and Consultant across the region is resulting in waiting lists for treatment that is impacting on patient outcomes;.
Deputy Harkin says none of the increased number of hospital beds announced in recent months have been allocated to hospitals in the Saolta group, and the government initiatives to reduce waiting lists is already failing dismally in the north-west.
'The government have put in place a four hundred and forty three million waiting list action plan for 2023 . That has set a target to reduce waiting lists for outpatient and in patient and day cases and procedures by town percent at the end of this year. That would mean that approximately 12 thousand 8 hundred across the whole Saolta group will be a reduction. What has happened? Nearly three thousand four hundred have been added to the three main hospitals waiting lists since the start of this year.'
