Dick Roche, Workers’ Party representative in Waterford has accused the government of being completely indifferent to those on public hospital waiting list.
Dick Roche
Mr. Roche was speaking as it emerged that the number of people on hospital waiting lists had reached some 707,000 people, the highest ever recorded and representing more than one in seven people. More than 36,000 of those affected are on the waiting list for Waterford University Hospital.
Dick Roche said, “The number of people on hospital waiting lists has sky-rocketed under the present government and there is no sign that they are treating this issue with the urgency it deserves. Rather it is regarded as an inconvenience on a growing ‘To Do’ list on the desk of Minister Simon Harris.”
“Every one of these 707,000 is an individual who is experiencing doubt, worry and often pain. There seems little empathy in the response of the government or urgency to significantly deal with the issue. This is beyond a national crisis, it is an absolute emergency and unless significant dents can be made in these figures they will continue to climb upwards towards the one million mark”, said Dick Roche.
The Workers’ Party spokesman said that the Waterford and South East area was one of the most badly hit and there was a sense that the health crisis in the region had gone off the radar over the past year. “The people of Waterford and surrounding counties need to raise our voices once more and make this an issue that the current government and its supporters cannot afford to ignore.”