More patients are waiting longer to see a consultant at University Hospital Waterford than anywhere else in the country.
According to the National Treatment Purchase Fund, 18,673 people are on the outpatient waiting list for 18 months or more.
It's a jump of 50 per cent since the end of February 2020 when 12,294 people were on the list.
Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose and Throat) has the longest list, 7,177 are now waiting at least a year and a half for an appointment. It was 4,509 a year ago which equates to a 60 per cent increase.
3,142 are on the dermatology list for at least 18 months. That's an increase of 55 per cent since February 2020.
The number of people on the orthopaedics list for a year and a half has more than doubled from 1,211 to 2,647.
Limerick was the only other hospital with more than 18,000 patients on the outpatient list for 18 months or more.
In total, 47,496 people were on the outpatient list at UHW on the 25th of February. It's second only to Galway University Hospital which had 54,148 waiting at the time.
