New figures released tonight show a surge in waiting lists at national public hospitals, now totalling more than 823,600 waiting patients, reports RTE.
This represents an increase of more than 11,100 patients from the December figures.
The number of patients waiting to be seen for the first time by a specialist in an outpatient clinic rose to 589,670.
Official data for January is from the National Treatment Purchase Fund.
More than 83,400 patients are waiting for an appointment for inpatient or outpatient surgery, reports RTE.
National data exclude more than 54,000 patients who have been “suspended” from waiting lists for clinical or other reasons.
The numbers also take into account the recent validation of waiting lists by hospitals and are also affected by the record hospital overcrowding in January, which led to the cancellation of scheduled operations, reports RTE.
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