Consultants: Govt failure has lead to 35% rise in waiting lists

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association says the Government's failure to deal with the hospital crisis had led to waiting lists spiraling out of control.

The association says the lack of investment in frontline services in the healthcare system is also contributing to the problem.

The IHCA says that in the past year to the end of January 2015, there has been a 35% increase in the numbers who are waiting for essential in-patient and day-case treatment.

Gareth Dukan from the Irish Hospital Consultants Association, says the rising numbers on waiting lists, is creating problems in other areas of the health system.

He said: "What that does is that it converts aproblem that may be a nuisance into an emergency.

"And then that patient, instead of being dealt with through the normal channels and an elective procedure, presents as an emergency putting further pressure on an already over-stretched and over-clogged system."