Arthritis sufferers are ending up needlessly debilitated and having to give up their jobs because they are not being seen early enough by specialists, it has emerged.
The wait to see a rheumatologist in some parts of the State, most notably in the west, is up to four years, a Dáil committee heard yesterday.
Prof Oliver Fitzgerald of the Irish Society of Rheumatologists and a consultant at St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin told the joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children that there was "a window of opportunity" to treat the disease in its first year of onset and after that irreparable damage could be done.
"I've no doubt a four-year wait is contributing to disability and people having to give up work," he said. He called for urgent measures to improve services.
These included recruiting additional consultant rheumatologists. While the Hanly report on medical staffing published on Wednesday has outlined a 10-year timeframe to increase consultant numbers, Prof Fitzgerald said arthritis sufferers could not wait for the implementation of Hanly.
"I strongly recommend we don't simply wait for Hanly to be implemented," he said, adding that he was making basic and emergency recommendations "to get the service off the floor where it is at the moment".
Dr Doug Veale, also a consultant rheumatologist at St Vincent's hospital, said Ireland had a worse ratio of consultant rheumatologists per head of population than even Croatia. "The Irish situation is dreadful," he said.
The committee heard there was no consultant rheumatologist in the Midland Health Board area and the Mid Western Health Board had only appointed its first one last week. The North Eastern Health Board had just advertised for its first one.
In addition there is no paediatric rheumatologist in the State even though up to 700 children are affected by arthritis, some as young as two years old.
Dr Veale said arthritis affects one in six Irish people at some stage and over 70 per cent of sufferers wait over a year to see a doctor who treats the condition.
The committee plans to make recommendations to the Minister for Health, Mr Martin.
Meanwhile, the Arthritis Foundation of Ireland is having an information day for sufferers at Jurys Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Lectures will be given by consultant rheumatologists.