Public patient waiting lists grow by 80,000 despite €420m funding boost
Kenneth Fox
Although €420 million was allocated in 2025—the highest annual investment in four years, 80,000 more public patients are waiting across outpatient, surgical and diagnostic pathways than in 2024.
Patients waiting are affected by decisions and capacity in the last 12 months, not by emergency conditions four years ago, making year-on-year performance the appropriate and defensible test of whether access to care is improving or deteriorating.
Between December 2024 and December 2025, the combined public patient waiting list increased by 79,806 to 753,770, with 117,595 now waiting over 12 months, an increase of 15,298 patients (+15 per cent) despite investment of €420 million in 2025, the highest annual allocation in four years.
When nearly 118,000 public patients wait over 12 months for care, the scale creates systematic patient safety risk; even a 1 per cent deterioration translates to over 1,100 individuals experiencing prolonged pain, advancing disease, or delayed diagnosis.
Adult outpatient waiting lists increased by 59,132, with long waits rising 16 per cent across high-impact specialties, including dermatology (+4,065, with more than 12 months' wait, +39 per cent), orthopaedics (+3,847, +52 per cent), and rheumatology (+1,044, +85 per cent).
Adult gynaecology outpatient lists surged by 6,668 patients (+23 per cent) with long-waiters falling by only 90 statistical improvement driven by volume growth—while adult breast surgery outpatient lists more than doubled (+2,665, +127 per cent), creating future long-wait pressure.
Adult surgical waiting lists increased by 17,064 (+21 per cent), with surgical long waits surging by 5,311 (+49 per cent)—patients already approved for surgery face worsening delays for procedures already deemed necessary.
GI diagnostic waiting lists increased by 8,853 (+34 per cent), delaying disease diagnosis. Four paediatric specialties show throughput failure, child dermatology saw 237 fewer in the queue but 200 more (+18 per cent) waiting over 12 months.
