Health Minister James Reilly warned that hospital waiting lists will see a rise in the short term despite new plans to treat patients faster. He also launched a Special Delivery Unit which is set up with the one aim to cut down on delays patients needing surgery or outpatient specialist appointments face.

The unit being headed by UK-trained health manager Dr. Martin Connor, has set its target to clear waiting lines in Accident & Emergency units in Hospitals. Dr. Reilly however admitted that it will take as much as 18 months for patients to see results. Details about how the objective would be achieved remain sketchy amid concerns of no new funding available for this year.

He reiterated his aim stating that waiting lists will rise in the short term but this problem will be tackled in the long term. He also maintained that health services received a setback after having €700m cut from their budget but he showed optimism saying that all problems will be tackled soon.

Another major concern rose with reports on how a similar unit set up in Northern Ireland reduced the waiting lists initially but they soon spiraled out of control.

Dr Connor in a statement said that care for patients would be on top of his priority list and would form the core of his plans. He however stated that this was no quick fix solution. It would take time and team effort of the hospitals.