Waiting lists cause further suffering

THE government’s failure to tackle the waiting list crisis has only created more pressure on the health service as people left with untreated conditions often require higher levels of treatment as time passes.

Speaking in the Dáil on Tuesday night, Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South West Seán Crowe said: “The Oireachtas Health Committee has consistently heard from health service workers and their unions that staff are at constant risk of burnout.

“Recruitment and retention remain at crisis levels as young graduates seek better pay and working conditions elsewhere, despite their expressed wish to remain in Ireland.

“This makes it impossible to legislate for mandatory staffing levels in hospitals as what staff we have we cannot keep and we are increasingly unable to replace those who leave. If we do not have key staff, hardly any other initiative will make a meaningful impact on healthcare reform.

“There are nearly 900,000 people on waiting lists out of a population of around 5 million in the South.

“That is one in five people on a waiting list, some for months and others for years, often in pain, many on heavy medication and suffering further, waiting on procedures or elective surgeries that could have a transformative impact on their quality of life.