Waiting list crisis: now hospitals turn sick patients away

Hospitals across the country are refusing to treat new public patients as their waiting lists become unmanageable, documents seen by this newspaper reveal.

The dramatic move by specialists in a number of major hospitals – including Cork University Hospital, Beaumont Hospital and the Mater Hospital – means that patients are being denied access to specialist public healthcare.

In letters sent to GPs, hospital consultants are advising that they are suspending their waiting lists ...