Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane TD, has called on the Minister for Health to respond urgently to the worsening situation in hospitals across the State.
Teachta Cullinane was responding to new waiting list figures published this evening, which show little-to-no progress on Sláintecare waiting times and an increase of 9,000 people without an appointment for January year-on-year.
The TD for Waterford said that the Minister should also explain her absence from the Emergency Department Task Force meeting earlier today, given that January was the worst month on record according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
Teachta Cullinane said:
“The waiting list figures published today show little-to-no progress in the last year. 61% of people are still waiting too long for an inpatient appointment, and 71% are waiting too long for an outpatient appointment. This is virtually unchanged. There are also 9,000 more people on active waiting lists for an appointment than at this point last year.
“At the same time, our hospitals are more overcrowded than ever. January 2025 is the worst month on record according to the INMO. Overcrowding is not just disgraceful, but dangerous. Emergency departments across the State are overflowing with people deemed in need of a bed who are waiting on trolleys and chairs. Waiting times will not improve without a real plan for hospital overcrowding.
“The Minister for Health must outline an immediate response to emergency department overcrowding, and she must outline the funding and workforce plans for the elective centres and promised hospital expansions which are part of the long-term solution.
“Sick and vulnerable people are often left waiting hours on end because our public hospitals are not resourced to deal with the volume of patients who need hospital care. There are also many problems in GP and primary care, and with delayed discharges, which is heaping more pressure on hospitals. Progress is needed on a statutory home care scheme, a public GP contract, the community-based workforce, and safe staffing in hospitals.”
