Waiting list for bowel cancer stretches due to Covid-19 restrictions

More than 1,300 people are enduring excessive waits for urgent bowel cancer testing, largely due to delays caused by Covid-19.

The Irish Cancer Society has called for urgent action to ensure people do not risk a delayed diagnosis as a result of the delays.

People seeking a colonoscopy are supposed to be tested within 28 days but latest HSE figures show 1,333 patients have been waiting longer than this target time. Almost 400 have been waiting over 90 days.

In total, there are 2,700 people on the urgent colonoscopy waiting list.

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"These are people who need a colonoscopy because they have shown certain symptoms. Thousands more are considered non-urgent and are facing unacceptable wait times also," said ICS chief executive Averil Power.

“It is crucially important that people are diagnosed early to make sure they have the best chance of survival and a higher quality of life after cancer.”

Along with other services such as screening, coloscopy provision has been interrupted by the pandemic and the HSE has yet to indicate when testing will resume.

"We have been concerned for some time about the underfunding and under-resourcing of the endoscopy services in Ireland – and now due to the pandemic things have reached a critical point," Ms Power said.

Dr Anthony O’Connor, a consultant gastroenterologist at Tallaght hospital said it was best practice to test people requiring an urgent colonoscopy in 28 days.

“This is not happening for too many people and many more people will be left waiting for far too long unless we see steps taken now. The longer people have to wait the greater risk we are taking with their outcome if they are found to have cancer.”

The overall colonoscopy waiting list has increased by almost 7,000, to 18,871, in the past 12 months.