17,000 waiting over four years to see consultant

Almost 17,000 people — including heart, orthopaedics, kidney, neurology, and cancer patients — have been waiting over four years for an initial hospital consultant outpatient appointment.

HSE figures show that, despite repeated ministerial promises to resolve the delays, the long-term treatment backlogs are continuing across a range of vital specialities in the system.

Leading medical website irishhealth.com has revealed that, of the 351,000 people on outpatient lists, 117,000 are still waiting more than a year to be seen for the first time by a hospital consultant.