The number of people waiting for at least a year and a half for an appointment at the main local hospitals has jumped by a quarter since the start of the year.
The increase comes amid concerns that the scaling back of hospital services during the COVID-19 pandemic will lead to long waiting lists.
The latest figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund show 38,100 people were awaiting outpatient appointments at University Hospital Limerick in May.
Of those, 12,160 were waiting at least 18 months to see a consultant, a number that’s jumped by almost a quarter since January.
There were increases too in the numbers waiting for inpatient appointments at Dooradoyle, up by 64.
At Ennis General Hospital, the number waiting a year and a half for an outpatient appointment jumped by 165, while there was a marginal increase here for inpatients.
All in all, the statistics show more than 12,700 patients are now waiting 18 months for a medical appointment across both hospitals.
With many non-essential surgeries and appointments put on hold during the COVID pandemic, these figures show there will be a significant backlog to clear as services resume, and that many patients will face long waits to be seen.
