Patients with arthritis in some parts of the country face having to wait up to four years to see a consultant, an Oireachtas committee heard yesterday.
A delegation of consultant rheumatologists and members of Arthritis Ireland told the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children that the situation was worst in the northwest and mid- west.
Consultant rheumatologist at St James's Hospital in Dublin, Dr Gaye Cunnane said it was particularly important to detect early arthritis and that several additional hospital units needed to be set up to deal with this. She said units needed to be developed at Letterkenny, Sligo, Mayo, Tralee and the midlands.
The consequences of delayed treatment included joint damage, disability, work loss and osteoporosis, she said. Early intervention meant that the complications of arthritis were preventable.
Dr Cunnane said in Ireland there were 0.25 rheumatologists per 100,000 population, while in the UK and the rest of Europe the figure was about 3.5. Waiting times in the UK and on the Continent ranged from 6-12 weeks, whereas in Ireland patients can be waiting for four years.
Chief executive of Arthritis Ireland John Church said by continuing to ignore the under-resourcing of rheumatology services that the country was facing an even bigger bill in the long- term. "It is estimated that the cost to the economy of arthritis is €1.6 billion," he said.
