"Suddenly, I knew something had gone wrong: I could hear voices around me, and I realised with horror that I had woken up in the middle of the operation, but couldn’t move a muscle."

More than a dozen Irish patients have woken up or been conscious but unable to move during surgery in the past year because anaesthetic drugs failed to work.

A long-term failure to ensure Ireland has enough anaesthetists in its hospitals is increasing the risk of serious medical mistakes during surgery and delaying vital treatment for patients.

Chronic pain affects 13% of people in Ireland, but most have to wait over a year for diagnosis and treatment, according to the Faculty of Pain Medicine at the College of Anaesthetists of Ireland.