There is more bad news on hospital waiting lists.

The latest figures just released for May show a further rise in the overall Irish public hospital service lists which now stand at over 851,700 people.

That’s a rise of over 1,700 on the April figures.

The biggest list is to be seen by a consultant at an outpatient clinic.

There are 624,444 on that list alone.

Also, almost 80,000 people are now waiting for an appointment for their surgery or treatment as an inpatient or day case.

On top of that, over 28,400 people are waiting for a gastrointestinal check.

These lists are pretty horrendous and depressing for people who badly need surgery.

Realistically it will take years to begin to get the long lists down significantly.

That leaves many patients having to look for other options, like going private if they can afford that, or healthcare abroad and treatment under the EU Cross Border Healthcare Directive covered by the HSE.