MORE THAN 1,000 public patients are waiting more than six months for colonoscopies at hospitals across the State, new figures show.
Almost 60 per cent of them are waiting in just three hospitals - Letterkenny General Hospital, Tallaght hospital and Sligo General Hospital.
The figures, obtained by The Irish Times, also indicate some 245 patients are waiting more than a year for the test.
Some 247 patients are waiting more than six months for colonoscopies at Letterkenny hospital and 94 of these are waiting more than a year for the test.
At Tallaght hospital 246 patients are waiting over six months for the examination and of these 49 are waiting over a year.
And at Sligo hospital some 107 patients are waiting more than six months for colonoscopies and of these 27 are waiting more than a year for the procedure.
The new figures come just days after data released by the Irish Cancer Society (ICS) indicated average waiting times for colonoscopies could be seven to nine months in some hospitals. It expressed serious concern at these waiting times, saying patients should have the crucial cancer test within six weeks of seeing their GP as early diagnosis is very important in cancer.
The latest figures obtained by this newspaper reveal even longer waiting times in some instances, with some patients waiting a year or more for colonoscopies.
These latest waiting times will be an embarrassment to the Government, which promised last year to make every effort to ensure cases like that of Kilkenny woman Susie Long were not allowed to recur. Ms Long had her bowel cancer diagnosis delayed after having to wait seven months for a colonoscopy. She died in October 2007.
Asked to comment on the waiting times, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), which now manages all hospital waiting lists, said: "In some parts of the country there are too many public patients waiting too long for colonoscopies and this is entirely unacceptable".
It said there was no need for patients to be waiting so long as the NTPF can arrange to have those waiting more than three months seen privately.
"It is no coincidence that the hospitals with the largest numbers waiting for colonoscopies, are also among the hospitals with the longest overall waiting times for all procedures, and the lowest general levels of referrals to the NTPF. We have pointed out the situation at these hospitals on numerous occasions and continue to make every effort to work with them to improve the situation for the public patients waiting on their books," it added.
John McCormack, chief executive of the ICS, said it was completely unacceptable that 1,025 patients were waiting over six months for colonoscopies.
It was important, he said, that there was movement now on the plan to implement a national bowel cancer screening programme. Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in Ireland, after lung cancer. In 2005 there were 2,184 new cases of bowel cancer and 924 deaths from the disease.
Public patients waiting over three months can contact the NTPF directly on 1890 720 820.