Surgeons unable to access operating theatres for up to a year due to support staff shortages

Ireland has 211 operating theatres — one third of the equivalent number in other western European countries, according to the IHCA.

Highly trained surgeons are unable to access operating theatres for up to a year due to a shortage of support staff and a failure to allocate patients, a leading doctors’ association has revealed.

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) is calling for significant capital funding to open operating theatres, buy equipment, and recruit a wide range of support staff to ensure surgeons can work to clear waiting lists.