SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan has said the increased disruption of elective surgeries post-pandemic was an unfortunate inevitability of a service already in crisis.
Mr Durkan said the continued uncertainty was wielding chaos over people’s daily lives. adversely affecting
There are 311,000 people in NI waiting for a first appointment with a consultant, new statistics show.
The latest figures from the Department of Health span April to June 2020, when the health system was dealing with the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Over those three months, the number of people waiting for a first appointment has risen by 4,000 to 311,090.
Said the Foyle MLA: “Our ever-increasing waiting lists, recently 100 times bigger than that of England, have been symptomatic of a health service in crisis, pre-pandemic.
“The system has been crying out for an overhaul long before the outbreak of Covid. Unfortunately, this substantial rise in numbers on waiting lists and disruption to elective surgeries where a forgone conclusion.
“However, it cannot and should not be used as an excuse to further delay what in many cases are life-changing operations.
“I have witnessed first-hand over the past month, the devastating impact this has had on people’s mental and physical well-being.
“A concerning number of constituents have received dates for surgery- attended a pre-op appointment, went through the process of mentally preparation and the relief of finally being called for long awaited operations, just to have them cancelled.
“Some have had this happen on multiple occasions. Playing with people’s expectations and lives in this way is unacceptable.
“Undoubtedly, three years of political negligence has had its part to play in allowing these wounds within the health service to fester.
“I’ve consistently raised the urgent need for radical transformation and while the reality remains that no health system could have fully prepared for the onslaught of Coronavirus, here it hit a system already on its knees.”
Mr Durkan added: “The colossal impact this is having on individuals and families cannot be overstated- lives are put on hold as they wait in pain for appointments, only to wait even longer again for an operation.
“This is affecting people’s ability to work, to fully function, to exercise and inevitably proves detrimental to people’s mental health.
“This is yet another reminder, if it were ever needed, of how badly our health service needs investment and a creative rethink on how services are delivered.”
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