People abusing drugs such as heroin and who want help quitting can be waiting more than a year to access a drug treatment programme in the Republic, new figures show.
The figures, released by the Health Service Executive (HSE), show the average waiting time for treatment with methadone in Waterford is 14 months, in Athlone it is seven and a half months and in Portlaoise the average waiting time is six months.
In Dublin, the waiting time can be up to 12 months in some areas.
The data was released in response to parliamentary question from the Fine Gael Kildare North TD Bernard Durcan.
The HSE, in its reply, said it realised there were difficulties in some areas with waiting times.
It said this could be affected by difficulties recruiting GPs to treatment programmes, as well as the capacity of treatment centres to cope with numbers presenting. It expects to recruit GPs in the Waterford area to the methadone treatment programme in the near future to bring down the waiting times for treatment there.
Furthermore, it said while some waiting times were long, in general people seeking treatment are assessed within one week of presentation and are offered treatment within eight to 10 weeks.
The figures indicate patients in the midwest wait on average six weeks for treatment, while in the west the average waiting time is 12 weeks. In Carlow, it is 16 weeks.
The HSE also said the number on the waiting list for a methadone treatment programme at the end of May was 355.
Tony Geoghegan, director of the Merchants Quay Drug Treatment Centre in Dublin, said the waiting times were a disgrace. "People are waiting a very long time, so it's a huge disincentive for people to present for treatment," he said.
"It's paradoxical that on the one hand the Government is urging people to stop taking drugs and get treatment and on the other hand people are unable to access treatment," he added.
Commenting on the numbers waiting, he said he believed the true figure would be much higher if the waiting lists weren't so long. "The figure given masks all the other people who don't bother putting their name down when they are told there is a 12-month waiting list," he said.
Helping people quit was often about "seizing the opportunity" once they sought help, he said.