Waiting lists rise for ninth month in a row – FF

• · Numbers waiting six months plus has almost doubled in six months
• · 3,600% increase among those waiting more than nine months
• · Figures give lie to Minister’s claims of progress on tackling waiting lists

Fianna Fáil Public Service Reform Spokesperson Sean Fleming has expressed concern at the news that waiting lists are continuing to worsen and the year on year increase is notably worse this month than last.

Deputy Fleming commented, “The number of patients waiting for treatment as in-patients or day cases has increased by more than 18 per cent between September 2012 and June 2013. 49,290 are now on waiting lists, significantly up on 41,732 last September.”

“The total number of patients waiting over six months for in patient and day treatment has almost doubled (up 98%) since December – from 6038 to 11,985 in June.”

“The figures waiting more than nine months show an extraordinary increase of 3,621% from 107 last December to 3,982 at the end of June.”

“The numbers waiting more than a year has increased by more than 2,200 per cent since December 2012, from 36 to 849 in June 2013.”

“Year on year waiting lists were 4,300 worse in June 2013 than in June 2012. The year on year increase in April was 1,884 and in May it was 3,002. So not only are waiting lists growing, so is the annual rate of increase.”

“These figures give the lie to Minister Reilly’s claims to be making progress on tackling waiting lists. It seems that the Special Delivery Unit was just a short term fix that has failed to tackle the underlying problems. Not for the first time, Minister Reilly’s inflated claims about his own performance crumble on even basic inspection – the pattern revealed here is a pattern that shows up the growing dysfunction and disorder within our health service under Mr Reilly’s leadership.”

“It was announced last month that an estimated €18m was being allocated to the five worst hospitals last month as part of an all-out effort to bring down waiting times. However in three of these five hospitals (Beaumont, the Mater and the Midwestern, Limerick) waiting lists continued to rise in June.”