Varadkar faces uphill battle as hospital wait list figures surge

Health Minister Leo Varadkar could be facing a battle to achieve one of his publicly stated health reform targets, after yet another surge in the number of people waiting for hospital treatment.

New figures revealed in the HSE’s November performance monitoring report show, despite Government insistence system problems are being tackled, patients are continuing to face excessive delays in accessing services.

According to the document, more than 382,000 people are waiting for some form of outpatient hospital appointment, up 4,447 in a month and from just over 310,000 last year.