I find it very absolutely unacceptable that a total of more than 105,000 people are awaiting inpatient or outpatient treatment at hospitals in the midlands region.

The National Treatment Purchase Fund’s figures for the end of July show more and more people in Roscommon, Leitrim and Longford are waiting for inpatient or outpatient treatment. Galway University Hospital has the longest combined lists of the seven Shannonside hospitals, at more than 49,000. Of those, 6,600 have been on them for more than 18 months. Roscommon University Hospital has more than 5,000 people awaiting treatment, with 735 waiting at least a year and a half. Portiuncula University Hospital in Ballinasloe has nearly 4,000 on its lists, with 215 waiting at least 18 months. This is nothing less than a serious crisis and must be addressed by the current Fine Gael/Fianna Fail supported government.