Children waiting 18 months for op

CHILDREN are having to wait up to a year-and-a-half for internal gastrointestinal probes at the country’s largest paediatric hospital.

Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Dublin has confirmed that a total of 166 patients were waiting for a colonoscopy or endoscopy on April 20 last.

The hospital said the next available appointment for a non-urgent endoscopy to check for digestive disorders was between 12 and 18 months.