Over 6,300 medical appointments at Tipperary University Hospital in Clonmel were cancelled last year according to new data released to Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health David Cullinane TD by the HSE. This includes more than 957 procedures, including 231 inpatient surgeries and more than 5,390 outpatient consultations.
Deputy Martin Browne says the Government’s lack of a plan for hospital overcrowding is impacting directly on waiting lists through cancellations and accuses the government of shifting the problem from Emergency Departments to waiting lists, leaving patients waiting longer for access to care.
The TD for Tipperary says Sinn Féin’s plan to improve the health service involves delivering 3,000 hospital and community beds, ending the recruitment embargo, training more healthcare professionals, and investing in local health services. The total of 6,347 cancelled appointments in Clonmel is up 12% in 2023 compared to 2022.
Deputy Browne says a new approach is required that would see centres for elective care created to better use available capacity alongside investment in home support, community step-down beds, and diagnostic capacity.
