“A patient’s access to care should not depend on where they live”, warns IHCA

Wide disparities found across hospital waiting lists in “postcode lottery”. As patients in Waterford, Limerick, Galway and parts of Cork in addition to Dublin face longest waiting times found IHCA.

“These shocking figures should be a wake-up call to Government. They need to urgently address the twin deficits of a shortage of Consultants as well as the lack of sufficient public hospital capacity to resolve the record waiting lists we continue to experience. Therefore, a patient’s access to care should not depend on where they live. The Government needs to address this ‘postcode lottery’ and realise that any waiting list plan which does not simultaneously address the Consultant recruitment and retention crisis is destined to fail. Our patients deserve better.”