A West Waterford woman with severe eczema faces a four year wait for treatment after the health system reverted to a public-private split.
Private hospitals were effectively taken over by the State for the early phases of the coronavirus crisis.
However this agreement ended earlier this month.
Geraldine Buckley had been able to access half the 40 sessions required to treat the skin condition, before the system reverted to the status quo.
She says she will now have to start her treatment again: "It's just a pity that I am going to have to restrict myself as far as what I love or what I want to do. The amount of clinics I've got now, that's all I'm going to get.
Geraldine Buckley (24), a farm worker from Modeligo in West Waterford, has to pay the outstanding bill of over €1,000 to complete the procedure - a sum she says she cannot afford.
Geraldine described the condition as if her skin is "too tight like an old jumper", and as her skin bursts and bleeds under any exertion, she can no longer continue the farm work she loves which she says is devastating.
"I'm only allowed a break of seven sessions before I have to go back start one again so even I did get my clinic again next week, I'd have to back to start again. I'm already halfways but that won't matter now, I'm going to have to go back to the start whenever I do get to see a specialist, which could be four years time."
Labour councillor John Pratt says Geraldine's treatment should have continued: "It's a waste of taxpayers' money indirectly because she's already in the system, she's after having had half her treatments. She's now back on the waiting list for four years - unfortunately it's usually more than that."
He said it "beggars belief" that her treatment couldn't continue. "I'm actually dumbfounded," he said.
He added that he the fears there could be many more people in a similar situation since the health system returned to its old structure.
