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More than 2,600 women waiting for gynaecologist appointment in the north west

Andrew Mooney -
More than 2,600 women waiting for gynaecologist appointment in the north west

There are more than 2,600 women across the north west waiting to see a gynaecologist.

That's according to figures released by the National Treatment Purchase Fund.

It found that 1,773 women were waiting for a gynaecologist appointment in Letterkenny University Hospital and a further 864 in Sligo.

Of these, 509 are waiting 18 months or more.

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The long waiting times are being attributed to difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff.

Dr. Rhona Mahony, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, says the country's young doctors are leaving to work elsewhere.

[audio mp3="https://img.oceanfm.ie/prod/uploads/2019/07/09mahony-gynaecology-clip-sor.mp3"][/audio]

There are almost 30,000 waiting across the country for an appointment, which is a 4.4% increase on the same time last year.

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The Irish Hospital Consultants Association has a launched a new campaign highlighting the length of time people are forced to wait.

Laura Durkan, Vice President of the IHCA, says recruiting and retaining consultants is a major issue.

[audio mp3="https://img.oceanfm.ie/prod/uploads/2019/07/11durkan-gynaecology-clip-sm.mp3"][/audio]

 

Andrew Mooney -