Health Minister Dr James Reilly admitted yesterday that due to staff leaving for an early retirement, delays will now be faced by public patients on waiting lists for surgery.

This means that people who are scheduled to get a surgery done next month will now be told that their appointment has been fixed for a later date.

Dr Reilly said, "I've absolutely no problem in saying that one of the things we have to do is slow down on elective, non-emergency, in-patient procedures for a short period of time to allow us absorb this change, and then we'll do that."

He added that during the middle of the year the productivity will take a boost as there are clear instructions that within nine months every single patient will have to be treated.

Early retirement incentives might be taken by about 3,700 health staff in various grades as there are indications about this.

Since September more than 1,400 have already gone and the remaining plan to go by February 29.

To boost the numbers some staff is being rehired but in the short term some sort of disruption is being expected as well.