Hospital waiting lists in Ireland have hit an all-time high, with an outstanding number of people residing on trolleys rather than beds - and a Waterford Hospital recording an astonishing nine-year wait for some of its patients. 

According to the Irish Times, a report set to be published this week by the Irish Hospital Consultants’ Association (IHCA) said that a Waterford University Hospital at this moment of writing boasts only two consultant urologists to serve a population of 500,000 people.

The president of the IHCA, Dr Tom Ryan mentioned that Ireland’s population had increased by 12% over the last 12 years, with average age rising all the time. 

He also mentioned in the interview that acute hospitals are still using ancient pieces of equipment in an attempt to deal with numbers. 

Current funding levels simply can't allocate money to update existing equipment in these trying times. 

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