Nearly 80,000 people on waiting lists for hospital treatment across Cork

Nearly 80,000 people were on waiting lists for hospital treatment in Cork at the end of December, data from the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has shown.

In total, 79,528 people were awaiting treatment, 70,123 were out-patients and 9,405 were in-patients, down slightly from 80,463 the previous month. Of those on waiting lists, 8,909 or just over 10% were children.

The hospital with the longest waiting lists was South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, where 38,193 people were awaiting treatment. This was followed by Cork University Hospital with 26,265.

There were also 6,582 people on the Mercy University Hospital waiting list; 4,474 in Mallow General Hospital; 3,099 in Cork University Maternity Hospital, and 915 in Bantry General Hospital.

The most common specialisations people were awaiting treatment for were orthopaedics with 7,848 on the waiting list; ophthalmology with 7,824; otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat) with 7,277; dermatology with 6,019, and neurosurgery had 4,516 awaiting treatment.

Of the total figure, 48,941 people had been waiting less than six months for treatment; 17,294 for six to 12 months; 7,274 for 12-18 months, and 6,019 patients were waiting for 18 months or more.

Overall, out-patient waiting lists — which make up the majority of the total figures awaiting treatment — have fallen every month from their peak of 79,896 in July 2024, with December 2025 outpatient figures representing a 12% reduction.

However, the figures for inpatient treatment have increased by 15% during the same period.

The figures have risen in each of the last three months, according to data.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health said that, though increases in waiting list volumes continued through most of 2025, they stabilised towards the end of the year with reductions in the total waiting list volumes since October.

“There have also been improvements in how long patients have been waiting across lists in the same period.

“Increased outpatient activity will naturally increase referrals to inpatient or day case waiting lists, and while the number of patients on those lists has increased, the length of time they are now waiting for treatment has improved,” they said.

“While we are now seeing signs of progress, the department will continue to drive improvements in waiting list performance through ongoing engagement with the Health Service Executive (HSE) and NTPF.”