Over 86 thousand children are currently on waiting lists to see a hospital specialist.
The "hidden figures" revealed in today's Irish Independent are almost twice as many reported in the government's official figures.
These only account for the three children's hospitals in Dublin, and not those where children are counted along with adults.
The figures reveal that 18,728 children have been on a waiting list for at least a year and a half.
It shows very large queues to see an ear, nose and throat specialist including 1,440 in Limerick, 1,224 in Letterkenny, 1,088 in Drogheda, 1.061 in Galway and 488 in Cavan Hospital
The figures show the crisis seems to have worsened since last spring when figures for 23 hospitals showed nearly 57,000 were waiting nationally, compared to 47,717 in official reports.
Fianna Fail's Health spokesperson Stephen Donnelly says it's appalling to hear that 86 thousand children are on waiting lists.
