'There is a serious need to explore what more can be done sort this matter out'. That's according to Cavan Monaghan Fianna Fail TD, Deputy Niamh Smyth, who was responding to the news today that there are nearly 30,000 adults and 5,000 children on hospital waiting lists across Cavan, Meath and Louth.
She says there are numerous reasons for the situation that has developed, including the cancellation of elective surgery during the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent backlog that emerged; and the difficulties the HSE is experiencing with the retention and recruitment off staff.
Deputy Smyth says while that doesn't justify what has happened, it is none-the-less, important to realise that the health service now has 17,000 more staff than it had it 2020. She added that many of those on waiting lists are approaching their local TDs for help because they are becoming more and more desperate.
"We do ask ourselves the question is it a lack of funding? Is it a lack of resources? Is it a lack of people working within the service to deliver the service? But I have figures here that indicate there are 17,000 more people working in our health service than there was in 2020.
"So, three years on that gives us an expansion of 15% in terms of the number of people working within the health service," she said.
