Over 825,000 on Hospital Waiting Lists as Crisis Deepens
More than 825,942 public patients are now trapped on hospital waiting lists across the State, a staggering jump of 72,174 since the start of this year alone. The figures, released by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) for May, lay bare the deepening crisis in a health system that continues to fail the people it was built to serve.
Surgery and Outpatient Backlogs Surge
The numbers tell a grim story. Some 115,450 patients are now waiting for surgery, up from 107,181 at the end of December. Outpatient backlogs have also climbed sharply, with 669,506 people queued to see a specialist compared to 611,987 in 2025. A further 40,986 patients are waiting for a gastrointestinal scope, a significant rise from 34,595 just months ago.
These increases come despite the roll-out of a public-only contract for consultants, a measure that should, by all reasonable expectations, be delivering reductions at this time of year. The worst of winter overcrowding has passed, yet the queues keep growing.
Government Points to Long-Term Gains
The Department of Health has pointed to longer-term improvements, noting a reduction of roughly 51%, or around 144,000 fewer patients, waiting over 12 months since September 2021. The Weighted Average Wait Time has also improved by approximately 44%, or 5.3 months, across the same period.
However, officials concede that waiting list performance in 2026 has been impacted by higher demand and increased referrals, which they say has offset the increased levels of activity in acute hospitals. In a statement, the Department acknowledged the impact of the winter surge in unscheduled and emergency care.
While the health service does not wish to see a growth in numbers waiting for care, growth in the number of referrals to our hospital services has a positive aspect in that it is indicative of people accessing the services that they need.
The Department also pointed to modest month-on-month reductions in inpatient, day case, and gastrointestinal scope lists since April, arguing this shows what can be achieved even amid rising demand.
A System Still Failing the People
Minister Carroll MacNeill published the Waiting Time Action Plan 2026 in January, described by the Government as embodying its commitment to reducing waiting times. Under reformed structures, HSE Regional Executive Officers have been tasked with driving productivity and performance improvements across each region.
But for the 825,942 people currently waiting, these institutional reforms offer little comfort. Scheduled care demand has grown significantly in recent years, surpassing pre-pandemic levels and demographic expectations. The Waiting Time Task Force continues to oversee governance and implementation of the 2026 action plan.
The question facing the public is stark: how long must the people of this nation endure a two-tier system where wealth buys speed and the rest are left to wait? The figures demand more than task forces and action plans. They demand a fundamental reckoning with a health system that, year after year, fails those who need it most.