A member of the Midwest Hospital Campaign has expressed shock over the volume of appointments cancelled in this region on account of Covid.
It comes as new figures show more than 42,000 appointments were cancelled within the UL Hospitals Group between March 2020 and the end of last year.
Figures received by Clare FM, through a freedom of information request, show there were 42,183 cancellations due to COVID in the UL Hospitals Group between March 2020 and December 2021.
Of those, more than two thirds related to University Hospital Limerick, with 1 in 12 at Ennis Hospital.
Most of the cancellations were in the early stages of the pandemic, with more than 10,000 put off in March 2020 alone.
Cardiology appointments accounted for 12.5% of the cancellations, or 5,237 appointments, while there were more than 5,000 Endocrinology appointments, and in excess off 4,000 ophthalmology and gynecologic appointments each, cancelled.
The UL Hospitals Group says it’s committed to ensuring all patients whose appointments were deferred during the pandemic will be rescheduled as soon as possible and that time critical cases are being prioritised.
Ennistymon woman Marie McMahon, who’s a member of the Midwest Hospital Campaign, believes Covid has helped “cover up underlying problems” in the Midwest and she says it’s not acceptable.
The Irish Patients Association says action should have been taken sooner to reschedule appointments.
Spokesperson Stephen McMahon says the cancellation of appointments reflect bigger systems problems and that questions need to be answered as to why no-one is being held accountable for it.
