Hospital waiting lists in Northern Ireland have hit a new high, figures published today show.
The number of people waiting for admission to hospitals for in-patient treatment stands at just under 60,000, with over 140,000 waiting for outpatient treatment.
The figures reflected an 8.7 per cent leap in in-patient waiting lists and 9.5 per cent in the out-patient list over the past year.
Northern Ireland Health Minister Ms Bairbre de Brún expressed concern about the totals and said she expected hospital trusts to deliver on targets she had set for the year.
But Ms de Brún described the increase in the last three months as slight and said much of it was down to new fertility services that were not previously available.
The number of patients waiting over the specified time for appointments - 12 months for cardiac surgery and 18 months for other specialities - also rose significantly.