18 March 2026
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Laura Harmon
Cork Labour Senator Laura Harmon has described as “appalling and beyond crisis point” new figures revealing that patients in Cork are waiting up to three and four years for an appointment at the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital.
Data obtained via a Parliamentary Question (attached) from Deputy Alan Kelly shows a total of 6,204 people, including both adults and children, are trapped on the ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) outpatient waiting list.
Most shockingly, the figures reveal that 84% of these patients (5,218 people) currently have no appointment date at all, with 266 on the list between two and three years and 5 patients left on the list for between 36 and 48 months.
Senator Laura Harmon commented:
“It is heart-breaking and frankly scandalous that in 2026, we have over 6,000 people in Cork and the wider Munster region waiting years for basic specialist care. We are talking about children waiting for grommets or tonsillectomies and adults living with debilitating hearing or sinus issues. For many, living their full lives is effectively on hold.”
“The fact that over 5,000 of these patients have no light at the end of the tunnel: no date, no time, just a place on a list, is a failure. To be left waiting years for a routine appointment is not just a ‘delay’; it is a denial of care.”
Senator Harmon highlighted that as a regional centre for ENT, the South Infirmary is clearly under-resourced to meet the needs of the population.
“I am calling for an immediate injection of resources to address this backlog. We need to address staffing shortages in the health service and ensure a clear plan is in place to bring these wait times down to acceptable levels. Our healthcare system should be accessible to all.’’