Aat least 1.3 million people in Ireland are on a waiting list for health services, according to figures published last week. That represents over a quarter of the state’s population. It includes 227,000 people waiting for an X-ray, scan or other diagnostics. Depending on the outcome of those tests, many will join the queues for treatment. The 1.3 million figure does not include those waiting for private healthcare. Although those lists are shorter, they may drive up the grand total to 1.5 million.
Both opposition parties and trade unions representing healthcare workers usually respond to such statistics by calling for more investment in health services. Yet that is palpably not the answer. The health budget is €21 billion a year, and rising.
One illustration of