There were over 5,000 fewer people waiting for a hospital appointment in the MidWest last month compared to the year prior.
According to the latest figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund, there were 45,179 people waiting for inpatient and outpatient appointments at Ennis General and University Hospital Limerick in March.
At the height of the pandemic, hospital waiting lists soared, reaching over 50,000 as elective activity and appointments were cancelled during recurrent waves of the virus.
However, since the emergence of the less severe Omicron variant, normal operations have resumed.
In March of 2021, 50,348 people were waiting for an inpatient or outpatient appointment at University Hospital Limerick and Ennis General.
12 months on and this figure has dropped by almost 11%.
Of the over 45,000 people waiting for appointments in the MidWest, 96% of those are for University Hospital Limerick.
The remaining 4% are for Ennis General – with almost 1,500 waiting for an outpatient appointment and just over 250 people waiting for an inpatient appointment there.
38% of the total number waiting to see a consultant in the MidWest are waiting for more than 18 months.
The majority of people waiting for an outpatient appointment at UHL are waiting to see an Ear, Nose, Throat specialist (ENT).
While in Ennis, most people are waiting for a cardiology appointment.
