There are now almost 700,000 people on waiting lists for hospital appointments due to severe delays caused by Covid-19 and the strain the third wave of the virus has placed on the healthcare service.
As reported in the Irish Examiner, there are now 610,000 people waiting on outpatient appointment, while a further 72,000 are awaiting inpatient or day case procedures the Oireachtas Health Committee has heard.
A senior HSE manager said the number of people on waiting lists has increased to an "unacceptable number", while staff shortages continue to plague the health service.
Currently, there are 6,000 hospital staff off work for 'Covid-related reasons', including having tested positive for the virus themselves, or having been identified as a close contact.
The deputy national director for Acute Operation, Angela Fitzgerald said the curtailing of non-urgent care last March at the onset of the pandemic in Ireland was appropriate, but had a "significant impact" on waiting times.
Before the pandemic, Ms Fitzgerald described the existing hospital waiting lists, 565,000 people at the end of 2019, as a "very challenging number", but the figure has now increased by 45,000.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said the high rates of community transmission over the Christmas period has led to hospitals and Intensive Care Units (ICUs) coming under huge pressure, with 442 hospital-acquired cases of the virus report last week.
On Friday evening, 2,371 new cases of the virus were confirmed to the Department of Health, with 52 additional deaths.
As of 2pm yesterday, there were 1,931 patients with the virus in Irish hospitals, 219 of whom were being treated in ICUs, with 78 additional hospitalisations in the previous 24-hours.
