Under 70% of patients at University Hospital Waterford and St. Lukes Hospital in Kilkenny started their chemotherapy on time, between January and April of this year.
That’s according to a new investigation by the Journal Investigates, which analysed the wait time for people receiving cancer treatment across the country.
Hospitals have a target to treat 90% of patients within 15 working days.

“It’s getting tougher and tougher,” Dr Michael McCarthy, consultant medical oncologist told The Journal Investigates. 

“Waiting to start curative treatment could impact the chances of being able to successfully cure cancer, or control it to maximise the quality of somebody’s life.”

The HSE recommends that once patients are ready for treatments like intravenous chemotherapy and immunotherapy that they should receive them within 15 working days.

Hospitals have a target to treat 90% of patients within this time – about 10% can “have more complex needs that confound or delay treatment”, the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) said.

Since 2023, all but one public hospital providing these life-saving treatments failed to meet the HSE’s monthly targets at least once, according to data obtained by The Journal Investigates through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

Alarmingly, 10 hospitals missed the target in over half of the months with available data between January 2023 and April 2025.

As a result, patients may be forced to wait days or even weeks longer than recommended for critical cancer treatments.

In the case of University Hospital Waterford, 73% of patients received new parenteral systemic therapy within the recommended 15-working-day target in 2023 – while the overall figure rose 2% to 75% last year in 2024.

However, between January and April 2025 – the number fell to just 65%.

St. Luke’s Kilkenny (62%) is the only hospital of all those recorded to have a lower percentage.

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