More than 250,000 waiting for hospital scans, new figures show

More than 250,000 people are waiting for health scans in hospitals, new figures show.

According to data from the National Treatment Purchase Fund, 59,000 have been on the lists for over a year.

The fresh figures relate to the number of people waiting for outpatient scans in acute hospitals. These include CT, MRI and ultrasound scans.

At the end of the last year, there were 251,000 people on the waiting list.

They include 38,000 people who have been waiting over 18 months.

Sinn Féin's health spokesman David Cullinane said the figures were shocking.

He told Newstalk radio: "We know that separate from diagnostic waiting lists we have just over 900,000 people on some form of hospital or acute hospital waiting list.

"Separate from that we have over 230,000 people who are on community waiting lists, and have just over a quarter of a million people waiting for a scan of some description.

"It's incredible that we have the amount of people waiting for a scan that we do."

The HSE told Newstalk the figures relate to the number of people waiting for new appointments or return scans.

It said not all patients listed are waiting for access to a diagnostic scan.

The HSE said funds have been provided to address the waiting lists this year.