There has been a surge in the number of patients waiting 18 months or more for appointments at Midwest Hospitals.
At the end of February almost 30,000 people were on a consultant waiting list at either Ennis General or University Hospital Limerick.
The latest figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund show 23,815 adults were waiting for either outpatient or inpatient services at University Hospital Limerick last month, representing just a 2% increase.
However, the backlog for those already waiting grew significantly; 831 patients there have now been on a list for over 18 months, a rise of 14% since January.
More than half of these patients are waiting to see a Dermatologist, while a further 15% have been left waiting over a year and a half to see a specialist in Cardiology.
Of the 4,357 children on a list at Dooradoyle, 130 were waiting more than eighteen months for an appointment.
Of those, 61% are waiting that length of time to see a Paediatrician, with the remainder seeking Dermatology or ear, nose and throat services.
At Ennis General, Cardiology continues to be the most in demand discipline for patients.
There a now 980 on the waiting list there, with almost a quarter waiting over twelve months.
At the end of January, there were zero patients waiting more than a year and a half for cardiology services in Ennis, there are now nineteen.
