Public patients wait 10 weeks more for cancer tests

PUBLIC patients are waiting up to 10 weeks longer than those who can pay for cancer diagnostic tests, a new study reveals.

A joint Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) and Irish Cancer Society (ICS) study involving almost 1,000 GPs across the country found that 70% of public patients waited two to 12 weeks for a gastrointestinal tract investigation while 62% of private patients waited less than two weeks for the same test.

And while 75% of private patients waited less than two weeks for an abdominal or pelvic ultrasound test, 60% of public patients had to wait two to 12 weeks.