More than 12,000 patients are waiting a year or more for appointments at Galway University Hospital – with 8.3% of them on a waiting list for over four years.

New Health Service Executive (HSE) figures reveal more than 1,000 people have been waiting at least four years for inpatient or outpatient appointments across specialities at GUH (Merlin Park and UHG).

The figures – obtained by Galway West TD, Noel Grealish – show respiratory medicine was the speciality with most patients (263) waiting more than four years for outpatient appointments.

The 48-months-plus lists included 167 waiting for ophthalmology (eye and visual problems); 142 waiting for dermatology (skin); and 109 waiting for orthopaedics (joints, bones, and muscles).

The four-year-plus inpatients waiting list included 123 for general surgery; 80 for plastic surgery; and 66 for urology.

Oncology, for cancer patients, was the only speciality where there were no patients waiting a year or more for appointments, and the current average wait time was 0-3 months.

There were more than 12,000 patients waiting a year or more for outpatient and inpatient appointments with 955 of these waiting for orthopaedics, 808 for respiratory medicine, 844 for ophthalmology and 753 for dermatology.

The current average waiting times at GUH was 15 to 18 months for respiratory medicine, dermatology, and ophthalmology, while the average waiting time for pathology was 12 to 15 months.

Remaining specialities had current average waiting times of less than a year with most within three to six months.

The picture was more positive in Portiuncula where no patients were waiting more than two years for appointments, and 233 were waiting for one-two years including 121 in respiratory medicine, 48 in gynaecology, 30 in dermatology and 29 in pain relief.

Deputy Grealish, who is seeking re-election to the Dáil this weekend, said the incoming government must prioritise GUH waiting lists.

“These figures are shocking – more than a thousand people waiting four years and possibly a lot longer to get an appointment, and more than 12,000 who have been on the list for more than a year,” Deputy Grealish said.

“This must be urgently tackled by the HSE and the next government. It is simply wrong in a developed country such as Ireland that someone should have to wait as long as this for medical treatment.

“I appreciate steps have been taken to reduce waiting times this year, but that is non-recurring funding. It is imperative government commits to a multi-annual plan to wipe out these unacceptable delays,” he added.

Ann Cosgrove, Integrated Health Area Manager, Galway Roscommon, HSE West and Northwest, said inroads were made to reduce wait times and lists.

She said the HSE secured once-off funding this year to hire outside contractors to deliver out-of-hours appointments at GUH – a “key tool for delivering waiting times improvements”.

It was also outsourcing appointments to private hospitals including through National Treatment Purchase Fund, to “improve access and facilitate delivery of our waiting times targets”.

She said GUH had delivered “a substantial number of initiatives across a range of specialities” in 2024.

“While short-term interventions have delivered improvements across our hospital sites’ waiting lists, lasting and meaningful reductions in the number of people waiting for care and associated waiting times, is dependent on an integrated and broader reform of the scheduled care system,” Ms Cosgrove said.

She added the focus would be on reforming and enabling scheduled care, productivity, and efficiency.

Pictured: UHG…waiting lists.