There has been a reduction in the number of patients waiting three months or more for a colonoscopy to check for bowel cancer at Letterkenny General Hospital, the Irish Cancer Society said today.
The number has dropped from 49 last year to just two in 2011 – however at Sligo General Hospital there has been a significant increase in waiting times.
Nationally, the new figures show that 1,854 patients are waiting three months or more for a colonoscopy to check for bowel cancer.
According to the Irish Cancer Society, the figures represent an increase of 848 compared with the figures for March last year.
At Sligo General Hospital 154 people are waiting in excess of 3 months for a colonoscopy, of that total 33 are waiting more than 6 months with 2 waiting over a year.
The waiting time figures were supplied to the ICS by the National Treatment Purchase Fund.
