Minister and health leaders have to act on our waiting list crisis

In his own words, Mr Swann admitted that the focus on the Covid-19 oubreak had led to “a virtual lockdown of normal health and social care services” in this Province.

There it is, in black and white, in the name of the health minister – the rest of Northern Ireland’s health system was effectively mothballed while it engaged in a fight against Covid-19.

Our waiting list numbers were already a mess (the worst in Europe) before Covid-19 and before Mr Swann came into post so the minister can be excused responsibility. Nor can he be held responsible for the lack of resources that he inherited, including the gross shortage of intensive care beds per head of population in comparison with other parts of Europe.

However, none of that will be of comfort to the staggering number of 311,090 patients here on the waiting list for an outpatient appointment to see a consultant.

Northern Ireland has, thus far, done better than many other countries in respect of the pandemic. However, what Mr Swann calls the “lockdown” of other health services cannot be allowed to continue or happen again, irrespective of whether Covid hospital admissions increase again in tandem with the rising number of new cases.

For some the damage will already have been done, they might already have died, or seen their condition worsen, all because their treatment was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Mr Swann talks about the “rebuilding of services” and about planned initiatives on day surgery and orthopaedics.

The onus is on the minister to deliver but this isn’t just about Mr Swann. It’s about the Stormont Executive backing him and taking collective responsibility for the future health of our population.