The head of the HSE Bernard Gloster has said that the best metric to judge hospital waiting lists is the length of time patients are waiting, rather than the number of patients waiting.
Speaking before the Oireachtas Health Committee, the Sinn Féin Health Spokesperson David Cullinane said that there had been a 50% increase in health funding since 2019, but waiting lists were static.
He said that against a population of over 5.2 million people, there were 840,000 patients now on active hospital waiting lists, plus 240,000 on community waiting lists.
Deputy Cullinane said he accepted that the number of people waiting a long time had reduced, but he said there was something wrong with the size of lists, given the population size.
Mr Gloster said there were marginally more people coming onto lists, than coming off them.
He told the committee that the average time patients were waiting to be seen for the first time at an outpatient clinic by a consultant had reduced from an average of 10 months to 7.5 months at the start of the year and that at the end of August it should be 7.2 months.
The most recent national hospital waiting lists show there were over 852,400 patients waiting for some kind of treatment or care in August.
It compares with over 838,000 patients waiting in July last year.
Of the total current hospital waiting list numbers, over 600,000 are patients waiting to be seen by a consultant for the first time at an outpatient clinic.
It represents a rise of over 4,000 patients compared to the July figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund.
The August figures exclude 64,442 patients listed as "suspended".
These are patients who are unfit or unable to attend for care, plus patients who have been outsourced for treatment by the private sector, or to other service providers.
Report into the death of Aoife Johnston to be 'published appropriately'
Meanwhile, Mr Gloster has said he will publish a report into the death of Aoife Johnston at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) in December 2022 "not later" than Monday next.
It comes after the family called for the report to be published as soon as possible this week.
Mr Gloster said that he would make contact with the Johnston family solicitor, Damien Tansey, Senior Counsel, as he had previously, to give "a fair opportunity and notice".
"I think it's important in the public interest that the report is published and published appropriately".
The 16-year-old from Shannon, Co Clare, died of meningitis after she was referred to the hospital's overcrowded Emergency Department with suspected sepsis that went untreated for over 12 hours.
On Monday, the Johnston family through their solicitor said that they were profoundly disappointed with the report of the investigation into her death at UHL.
Mr Gloster described the report, conducted by former Chief Justice Frank Clarke, as a very comprehensive and effective report.
He said that the report completely fulfilled all of its terms of reference, and is one on which, as a basis of being acted on, is being acted on at the present time.
"I'm very conscious of the commentary about the report in the last couple of days, and it's important that that commentary is addressed," Mr Gloster said.
"The best way to address that is when the totality of the report is there, then I'd be able to comment on the detail of it, and to explain to people what appears to be some of the concern being expressed about it, in which, in fact, I would respectfully suggest is misplaced concern about the report."
Earlier this week, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that he would listen very carefully to the requests of the family of Ms Johnston.
He added that he was happy to meet Aoife's parents again, as was Mr Gloster.
