Dublin patients wait longest for hospital care
A survey published today shows that where hospital patients live affects how long they are on waiting lists.
The findings, published in today's Sunday Times, show huge variations in the length of waiting lists in various hospitals.
Today's survey results, carried out in hospitals right across the country, show that patients in Dublin can expect to wait the longest period for admission to hospital.
The capital's Mater Hospital had the longest waiting list in the country - at an estimated 45 weeks.
St Vincent's Hospital, also in Dublin, was not far behind at 39 weeks.
Rural patients have the shortest waits, with a seven-week waiting time in hospitals in Clonmel and Co Louth.
Ennis General Hospital in Co Clare had no waiting list at all.
Efforts are continuing within the Irish health services to recruit sufficient staff to tackle the waiting lists with 13,000 additional workers employed over the past three years.
Health spending is also expected to rise over coming years, as the Government launches a programme to bring our services up to European standards.
