Consultants hear it could take 15 years to clear current waiting lists

Professor Alan Irvine, President, Irish Hospital Consultants Association.

It could take 15 years to clear the current hospital waiting lists unless funding is urgently provided to help patients, the Irish Hospital Consultants Association has said.

Hospital waiting lists have now reached over 907,000 across all specialities, including over 100,000 children waiting to be seen, the IHCA said. This is despite over 6m patients being treated last year as the growing population increases pressure on the system.