Galway hospital waiting lists the worst in the country
The waiting lists at University Hospital Galway are by far the worst in the country with over 1,000 people waiting at least 18 months for treatment – an increase of a staggering 322% in just six months.
The figures until the end of June show nearly 20,000 patients from across the city and region were on a waiting list for inpatient or day-care treatment at UHG.
Of those, 1,093 patients were waiting over a year-and-a-half – no other hospital comes even close to this figure with Beaumont Hospital in Dublin second worst with 448 patients suffering the same delay.
Some 937 patients were waiting 15 to 18 months, 1,201 between a year and 15 months, 1,346 over nine months, 1,641 over six months, 2,090 over three months and 3,105 up to three months.
The waiting list crisis at the region’s so-called centre of excellence had completely fallen off the Government’s agenda despite all the promised during the general election campaign, insisted Fianna Fáil TD for Galway West Éamon Ó Cuív.
“This shows a 322% increase in the number of people waiting 18 months for an in-patient appointment since December 2015. The situation at University Hospital Galway is almost unbelievable, truly shocking,” he fumed.
“In all my years as a TD I’ve never got as many medical queries as I have at the minute in my clinics. I can’t remember such chaos when it came to medical issues,” he added.
See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.