Hospital waiting lists are at "frightening" levels, a consultant physician in geriatric and stroke medicine has warned.
Professor Rónán Collins from Tallaght Hospital in Dublin said the reason could be a growing population of older people and increased demand on services.
The pandemic may also have exacerbated the problem, he added.
Waiting lists were always a serious issue but they are now at "frightening" levels, he told RTÉ's Saturday with Katie Hannon.
Prof Collins said the Department of Health's taskforce to tackle waiting lists will be a "bandage" to try and get on top of what is "a significant problem."
Any plan to address the issue "will have to look at some degree of prioritisation but ... we need to put our healthcare service on a sustainable footing to meet the needs of the population and we are very far away from that."
He said an ESRI report in 2018 reflected on the issue of hospitals not having enough beds. There is also "not enough manpower" in place across healthcare.
"We still have staff shortages with regard to nursing and consultant level staff. That problem is not easily solved. Because if you hire a lot of people they can't do their job if they don't have the resources."
Darren O'Rourke, Sinn Féin TD for Meath East, said the effects of waiting lists are seen a daily basis.
Labour Senator Annie Hoey said healthcare professionals are putting forward suggestions on how to deal with staffing issues. "I just don't know if [they are] being listened to."
Martin Heydon, Fine Gael TD for Kildare South, said broader structural reform is needed to ensure there is a "meaningful difference" made to reduce waiting lists.
He said there is a full focus now on health reform and tackling the challenges after two years of Covid.
Health Service Executive CEO Paul Reid last week revealed that during the pandemic, outpatient waiting lists grew by 98,000 or 18%, inpatient/day cases rose by 9,000 or 14% and endoscopy waiting lists increased by 10,000 or 47%.
He told the Oireachtas Committee on Health that demand continues to exceed capacity in many specialities and patients are waiting too long to be seen.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has promised to make €19 million in funding available for children who are on a waiting list for orthopaedic surgery.
The Spina Bifida Paediatric Advocacy Group cautiously welcomed the funding.
