Health Services Waiting Lists
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-09
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Maria McCormack (SF), Labour Panel

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber to take this issue. I raise this Commencement matter because of a young woman in Laois who contacted me recently. Like many others, she never imagined she would find herself fighting not only a serious health condition, but also a healthcare system that seems unable to provide the care she urgently needs. Following spinal surgery, this young lady developed a neurological movement disorder that now affects her ability to stand and walk. She relies on a walking aid every day and faces the possibility of needing a wheelchair in the future. Instead of getting answers and support, she has been told she could be waiting two to four years just to see a specialist.
Let us just sit with that. Imagine you are told your mobility is deteriorating, you are struggling with everyday tasks that most of us take for granted and you are then told that help may not arrive for years. Unfortunately, her story is not unique. Across Ireland, approximately 860,000 people are living with neurological conditions. More than 50,000 people receive a neurological diagnosis every year and yet approximately 24,000 people remain on waiting lists for neurological appointments this year.
What struck me most when speaking to this young woman was the sense of hopelessness that she felt. Every door she tried to open seemed to close - referral after referral, waiting list after waiting list. She is now considering travelling abroad because she simply cannot wait for answers but even this process is not straightforward as she needs a referral from a consultant in order to be able to travel abroad. When she is told that she needs to wait for two to four years, it is mind-boggling and does not make sense. No patient should be forced to leave Ireland to access timely diagnoses and treatment. People should not feel abandoned by a healthcare system at a time in their lives when they are most vulnerable.
Ireland continues to face significant challenges in neurology services, with long waiting lists, workforce shortages and unequal access to specialist care. Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial for many neurological conditions, yet too many patients are waiting. It has left them with untold suffering. I, therefore, ask the Minister of State what specific measures are being taken to reduce neurological waiting lists, increase specialist capacity and ensure that patients can access the care that they need now, not in four years. The woman who contacted me is not asking for special treatment. She is asking for what every one of us would want for ourselves or for a loved one, which is a timely appointment to get a diagnosis, access to specialist care and a chance to live her life with dignity and independence, not fear of deterioration.
Her story is just one story, but it represents thousands more. We need action on neurology waiting lists urgently. We need more specialists and we need to ensure that people living with neurological conditions are not left waiting years and years for care they desperately need now.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:01+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-09