The Department of Health has said average patient waiting time for surgical procedures has fallen to its lowest level ever.
The 2008 Annual Report of the National Treatment Purchase Fund - which was published today - says the average waiting time for operations has dropped to under three months.
However, the NTPF's chief executive has warned that waiting times for operations are likely to increase this year.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Pat O'Byrne said the cut in the fund's budget for 2009 would mean that the average waiting time for surgical procedures would probably be pushed out by a couple of weeks.
Mr O'Byrne said the fund would treat around 30,000 patients this year, but it would be impossible to treat the same number of people it did in 2008.
The report found that of patients waiting the longest for an operation, 18% are on a list in the Children's University Hospital Temple Street, and 12% are on the list in Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children Crumlin.
Minister for Health Mary Harney says the average time someone has to wait for an operation now stands at 2.6 months - compared to waiting times of between two to five years in 2002, the year the fund was established.
The report shows a 17% reduction in the number of patients waiting for a procedure when compared to the same period last year.
But more than 1,100 Irish patients are waiting over a year for their surgery.
The NTPF says three quarters of these have been offered treatment through the fund, but have not responded or shown up for appointments.
The NTPF is used to arrange faster treatment for public patients.
