Irish Hospital Waiting List Exceeds 1 Million for First Time in May

Ireland's public hospital waiting list reached a record 1,080,600 patients by the end of May, an increase of 10,000 from the previous month, according to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF).

The Irish Health Consultants Association (IHCA) warned that prioritizing emergency admissions over elective procedures would severely impact patient health. The NTPF figures show 669,506 patients await a first outpatient consultation, 115,450 need inpatient or day-case treatment, and 40,986 are waiting for an endoscopy. Additionally, 111,643 patients are awaiting planned procedures, with 78,333 having already been seen but requiring further steps, and 34,049 whose procedures are suspended.

The IHCA noted that over 286,500 elective surgeries, endoscopies, day-case treatments, and outpatient appointments were cancelled last year, up from 267,400 in 2024. This led to 72,180 outpatient, inpatient, and day-case waiting list additions this year. IHCA President Prof Gabrielle Colleran stated that waiting lists have grown by 425,000 (a 73% increase) since the May 2017 Sláinteacre report, hindering diagnosis and treatment. She criticized the government for treating scheduled care as an «optional extra» and cancelling life-enhancing surgeries due to chronic bed shortages and limited step-down capacity.