More than 4,000 children have been waiting on Northern Ireland's health waiting lists for more than a year for a first consultant appointment, it can be revealed.
More than 4,000 children have been waiting on Northern Ireland's health waiting lists for more than a year for a first consultant appointment, it can be revealed.
Koulla Yiasouma said: "The situation is now alarming, many children on waiting lists can be experiencing pain and discomfort, their education disrupted, their ability to forge childhood friendships, thrive and develop taken from them while they wait for healthcare in Northern Ireland. Within these lists, waiting times for Ears, Nose and Throat conditions are one of the largest, with almost 10,000 children waiting for a consultant led outpatient appointment and over 4,000 waiting for a procedure or surgery.
"NI needs strong leadership and brave evidence-based decision-making to rebuild and reform our system at the pace it needs to and this must include children’s services." The picture across the UK, while difficult to compare due to how statistics are collected, shows people in Northern Ireland are now four times more likely to be waiting for planned care as in England. The Northern Ireland figure has consistently been higher than in England, Scotland and Wales.
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