The Irish Hospital Consultants Association has said that it could take 15 years to clear the backlog of deferred care built up during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The organisation said that more than 907,000 people are now on some form of hospital waiting list across Ireland.
In its pre-Budget submission today, the IHCA said that consultant vacancies were at an all-time high of 882 permanent posts not filled.
IHCA President Professor Alan Irvine said that one consultant surgical oncologist was appointed without access to an operating list or outpatient clinic for almost a year, while theatre capacity for a number of surgeons in another hospital was reduced to 50% compared to pre-Covid levels and has not been restored yet.
The IHCA has said that promises to add an extra 1,146 beds by the end of last year have also fallen short by an estimated 317 beds, leaving patients waiting longer for critical procedures and treatment.
It said that an extra 5,000 additional beds are needed by 2030.
Prof Irvine said that deferred care leads to missed diagnosis and patients presenting with more advanced illness.
He said that the experience from the UK is that patients die while waiting on long waiting lists and he did not think there was any reason why the situation would be any different here.
Meanwhile, talks between consultants and the Government on a new public-only consultant Sláintecare contract are still continuing.
The talks began in September last year.
IHCA Secretary General Martin Varley said that consultants want a contract that will work in practice and that will attract specialists back to Ireland.
He said that consultants were extremely anxious to conclude the talks and that discussions are continuing this week.
There was a six-month break before last Christmas until June while a new independent chairperson had to be appointed to the talks.
The Department of Health has said that negotiations in relation to the Sláintecare contract are ongoing and it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.
It said that the talks started under the new chair Tom Mallon in June, as the previous chair was appointed to the High Court and talks are resuming shortly after a brief summer break.
It said that the process of engagement, being an IR process, is confidential.
