Doctor blasts system as patient with obesity is told waiting list for service is SIX YEARS

A doctor has called out the healthcare system after a patient with obesity was told the waiting list for service was six years.

Laura Durcan, a rheumatologist at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, shared a letter someone suffering from obesity received from the HSE.

“This is really an awful thing to do to someone who is suffering from severe obesity and needs help,” she said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

She added: “This is not what happens for private patients.”

The letter from the HSE’s Central Referral Office read: “I wish to infirm you that you have been placed on our waiting list for this clinic. The waiting list for this speciality is currently 6 years.”

The doctor also pointed out that she was not blaming the medical professionals, but the system. 

"This is political. I am highlighting because the patients don't feel that they can for lots of reasons. I hope you guys get the resources/ help you need," she said in another tweet.