There have been almost 1,000,000 fewer public hospital appointments as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association says there will be 200,000 fewer appointments this year in hospitals.
That's on top of the 723,000 cancelled appointments last year - while a record 860,000 people are on waiting lists.
The predictions are based on HSE Service Plan for 2021 which, Professor Rob Landers - vice president of the I-H-C-A - doesn't think will address the problem.
"We don't see the level of detail in that plan that gives us much comfort in terms of addressing the waiting lists.
"Yes there is more money coming into the health service, and that's a good thing, but you've got to remember we've spent the last 12 months firefighting, we've been in a crisis.
"What we don't see in the Service Plan is a good plan to get us out of this."
