Six-month wait for gynae appointments at Cavan General

Almost 1,000 women are waiting for gynaecology appointments at Cavan General Hospital, latest figures have shown.

The data provided by the Department of Health shows that, as of January 27, there were 950 women on the waiting list for Cavan General. Nationally, across all of the Republic’s hospitals there are 30,805 women waiting for gynaecology appointments.

The figures also show that women on the list have been waiting on average six months for an appointment in Cavan General. The January figures also show the average waiting time was 182 days. The figures confirm that the delay had been extending locally, as a month earlier, December 23, 2021, the average duration of those on the appointments list was 174 days.

In terms of delay Tallaght Hospital had the longest wait, at 652 days, almost 22 months, followed by Nenagh on 506 days, or almost 17 months.

The figures were obtained for all hospitals offering the service by Deputy Sorca Clarke (SF), who represents Longford-Westmeath constituency.

Deputy Clarke says that the figures “reveal a shocking crisis in gynaecology waiting lists”.

“There are currently 30,805 women waiting for a gynaecology appointment. This is an increase from the 30,180 women who were waiting when I submitted the same question this time last year.

“Last year, I was assured by the Health Minister that these figures were so high due to the immediate response to the pandemic. I am deeply alarmed that a year later these figures have not decreased, but have in fact increased. It is clear that there is a very concerning ongoing crisis in our gynaecology waiting lists, which has been continuing for far too long.

“Behind every number is a woman anxiously waiting for healthcare that she needs. Delayed appointments leads to delayed care, which can in turn lead to delayed diagnoses and delayed treatment. This is unacceptable.”

Concluding the minister is “not doing enough”, she said: “I am calling on the Minister to publish a plan for reducing gynaecology waiting lists specifically. He must ensure that services are sufficiently resourced to reduce these waiting times,” she said.

“The time for action is now. Lip service is not good enough. We need to see a proper plan in place to address this crisis.”

Commenting on the figures, the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly outlined that the government had a plan, and asserted that waiting times have been impacted by surges in cases related to the Delta and Omicron variants.

He added that the 2022 Waiting List Action Plan, launched on February 26, allocates €350 million to the HSE and NTPF to reduce waiting lists.

“Under this plan the Department, HSE, and NTPF will deliver urgent additional capacity for the treatment of patients, as well as investing in longer term reforms to bring sustained reductions in waiting lists.

He noted the plan is being “driven and overseen” by a senior governance group co-chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of Health and the CEO of the HSE, and meets fortnightly.

“This rigorous level of governance and scrutiny of waiting lists has continued into this year with the oversight group evolving into the Waiting List Task Force. The Task Force will meet regularly to drive progress of the 2022 plan.

“This is the first stage of an ambitious multi-annual waiting list plan, which is currently under development in the Department of Health. Between them, these plans will work to support short, medium, and long term initiatives to reduce waiting times and provide the activity needed in years to come.”