Record numbers waiting for outpatient appointments in Irish hospitals

Over 243,000 people have been waiting over a year for an outpatient appointment in an Irish hospital.

They are among a record of 611,000 people on the waiting list.

According to the National Treatment Purchase Fund, there are nearly 78,000 people waiting for an inpatient or day-case treatment.

Dr Denis Mc Cauley, from the Irish Medical Organisation, says there’s reduced capacity in hospitals due to Covid-19:

“I think at the very best you would hope that it would be limited by maybe 20%, but even to get to that level is vital, that you get to that 80% capacity as quickly as possible. I do have concerns that that ramping to the maximum level possible, allowing for social distancing, has not been achieved yet.”