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2,300 Donegal patients wait a year for treatment 25.09.14

INISHOWEN T.D., Charlie McConalogue has accused the Government of allowing hospital waiting lists to "spiral out of control".
He was responding to the latest figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) which reveal massive increases in waiting lists across the country, including Letterkenny General Hospital.
At the end of July there were over 2,300 people waiting more than a year for an appointment at Letterkenny – that’s a huge 209 per cent increase since January.
Donegal North East TD, Charlie McConalogue.
“The figures highlight the Government’s failure in tackling the crisis in our health service. Despite a series of promises and announcements that waiting lists are reducing, the statistics from the NTPF reveal the real story," said the Fianna Fáil deputy.
"Not only is the number of people on the waiting lists increasing, the waiting times themselves are also on the rise. In the first seven months of the year, the number of people waiting more than six months for an outpatient appointment at Letterkenny General Hospital hit 13,000 – an increase of almost 2,000. During the same period, the number of patients on a waiting list for over a year soared by over 200% to 2,333."
He said he was "extremely concerned" the situation will deteriorate further as the cuts to the health service begin to filter through.
He said €200m is being slashed from hospital budgets this year "which will force additional service cutbacks in an already pressurised system".
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