By Róise Collins
AN additional consultant has been appointed to the respiratory team at Letterkenny University Hospital to help tackle lengthy waiting lists.
The third permanent consultant has been added to the team as part of a number of initiatives introduced by the HSE to reduce waiting times for respiratory appointments in the county.
The current wait time for a first appointment with the respiratory service in LUH is 18-21 months.
There are over 1,600 people waiting for an appointment in Donegal, 185 of those waiting have been offered an appointment date.
Over 1,400 people are still waiting for an appointment date.
For comparison, in Sligo University Hospital there are no significant waiting lists for respiratory appointments and in Roscommon University Hospital there are currently 56 people on waiting lists, with only 10 of those awaiting a date.