Over 2,420 cancelled hospital appointments in North West

There were over 2,420 cancelled appointments across Sligo and Letterkenny University Hospitals in the first three months of this year. These cancellations would include people who needed surgery for various illnesses. Reasons given include overcrowding, infection outbreaks and staff shortages. In Sligo, there were over 1,140 in the first three months of this year while in Letterkenny, the figure is almost 1, 280. Nationally, more than 50,000 patients had their operations, procedures and appointments cancelled over the same period. Local Fianna Fail Cllr Edel MacSharry says that behind every cancellation is a person who is being severely affected: