Sinn Féin Louth TD Gerry Adams has expressed his alarm at the number of children on the Paediatric Outpatients Department waiting lists in Our Lady of Lourdes Drogheda.

Teachta Adams said:

“Department of Health figures released to my colleague Louise O’Reilly TD on Tuesday it has been revealed that there are 2,758 children on waiting lists for a range of specialities, including general surgery, ENT, Paediatrics and gynaecology. Across the state there are 86,625 children on waiting lists. This is twice the official figure of 46,000.

“This information raises serious questions for the Department of Health and for the Minister for Health and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) about investment in children’s specialities and the way in which official figures are recorded.

“In Our Lady of Lourdes there are 1,088 children waiting on ENT specialists. Of these over 600 have been waiting for more than a year.

“The release of this information justifies the concerns raised by parents, campaigners, and politicians who have questioned the official figures and have said that there are many ‘hidden children’ awaiting to see a specialist but are not being counted because they are on adult hospital waiting lists.

“The waiting lists for children in Our Lady of Lourdes are significant and action is needed to address these speedily.”