A shocking 12 per cent of the country's population is currently on hospital waiting lists. Why is this problem getting worse?
"Either we're the sickest country in Europe or something funny is going on," says Dr. Ruairi Hanley.
Ruairi feels that part of the problem lies in 'defensive medicine', which is when doctors feel there is nothing really wrong with a patient but will refer them to a specialist anyway for fear of making a mistake which could put their medical career on the line.
There is also an increasing problem with patients self-diagnosing after checking their symptoms on Google and then expecting their doctor to refer them to someone else.
Ruairi says, "We have to change the culture of blame in this country. Every doctor is going to make a mistake."
As for how the waiting list problem can be solved, he says, "I want the sick person fixed - I don't care who does it as long as it gets done."
Listen to the full interview with Ruairi below:
