|
|
Donegal outpatients wait over a
year
31.10.14
SOME 2,441 Donegal
people were waiting more than a year for an
outpatient appointment at Letterkenny General
Hospital in August, figures show.
That was an increase of over 100 on July’s figures
and a jump of almost 1,500 in the past six months.
Letterkenny now has the longest hospital outpatient
waiting times outside of Dublin.
The figures compiled by Fianna Fáil, reveal the
Government's "lax attitude" to the waiting lists,
said Inishowen T.D., Charlie McConalogue.
"(Health Minister) Leo Varadkar has all but conceded
that waiting lists will get worse before they get
better. What will that mean for people in Donegal?
Thousands are already waiting more than 12 months to
be seen. Are they now expected to wait for years
rather than months?" asked Deputy McConalogue. |
 |
|
Letterkenny Hospital. |
He said there had been
a 152.4% jump in the number of people waiting for an
outpatient appointment at Letterkenny in the past
six months.
"That’s an increase of 1,474 people in a 26-week
timeframe. Outside of the main city hospitals,
Letterkenny has the largest waiting list in the
country for outpatient appointments."
“We’re still waiting to see the (HSE Service Plan)
for 2015, which is due to be published next month.
However, if the Minister’s comments are a sign of
things to come, I am extremely concerned about the
standard of healthcare that people in the North West
can expect," he added. |
|
