Waiting list soars in Letterkenny
Inishowen man told he would have to wait ‘several years’ for op
THERE are currently more than 13,000 people on the waiting list in Letterkenny General Hospital, new figures have revealed.
A report, carried out by National Treatment Purchase Fund, shows that at the end of July this year 13,303 people were awaiting procedures at Letterkenny Hospital.
The majority of people, 2915, are awaiting ‘general surgery’, while some 2,681 are awaiting for Orthopaedics surgery or appointments.
According to the NTPF figures, in Donegal 3,674 patients have been waiting up to one year for an appointment to attend the hospital, while six have been waiting up to four years.
It is understood that the HSE recently employed extra staff over the summer months to try and deal with the rising backlog awaiting either surgery or to see consultants at the hospital.
One Inishowen man, who contacted this paper, was told by a HSE staff member in Letterkenny that he would have to wait ‘several years’ for a vital operation. The man, like many more, then opted to be treated privately across the border.
It is understood that many patients in Inishowen by-pass Letterkenny Hospital completely to have procedures and operations in Northern Ireland.
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