38,797 adults and 4,575 children are on some form of hospital waiting list in Sligo and Letterkenny University Hospitals, according to the latest figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund.
10,446 people are waiting 18 months or more for a hospital appointment in the North West.
As of the 28th of April a total of 21,954 adults and children were awaiting for an appointment in Sligo University Hospital; 2,643 are waiting for a year or more and 4,522 are waiting 18 months or more.
In Letterkenny University Hospital, the figure was 21,418 scheduled appointments with 2,032 waiting for at least a year and 5,924 waiting 18 months or more.
Across both hospitals, a total of 392 children are waiting at least a year and 1,281 are waiting 18 months or more.
Nationally, over 898,000 people are awaiting an appointment in an Irish Hospital five years into the 10 year Slaintecare plan.
Irish Hospital Consultants Association President, Professor Alan Irvine says the figures show the waiting list targets under the plan are ‘not achievable’ due to hospitals having a ‘severe shortage of Consultants, theatres, acute beds, diagnostic and other facilities’.
Professor Irvine fears ‘it could be decades’ before the waiting time targets can be achieved.
