MINISTERS have been urged to agree critical funding to slash hospital waiting lists amid an escalating crisis.
New figures show almost 350,000 people are still waiting for their first appointment with a consultant.
More than half have been waiting longer than a year.
The north has the worst waiting lists in the UK, with the Department of Health previously warning it needs £707.5 million of additional investment over a five-year period to address the crisis.
The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) warned that a summit of health authorities and political parties was urgently required to find a solution to the "ever increasing problem".
In June, Health Minister Robin Swann set out a new elective care framework that proposed a £700m-plus investment over five years that he said would remove backlogs through measures including providing "mega clinics" for surgeries.
Mr Swann revealed yesterday that he had to "convince my executive colleagues to fund that plan".
"We are in a five-party coalition here in Northern Ireland so there's politics to be worked out. But there's a recognition now that due to the underinvestment in our health service it is necessary so we can actually get back on top of these waiting lists," he said.
Northern Ireland Director of the RCS, Mark Taylor, told The Irish News last night that surgeons in the north supported "efforts aimed at reducing the backlog and which lead to long term capacity in the health service and its ability to deliver elective care.".
He called for the executive to fund the £700m elective care framework.
"In our view, any endeavour designed to reduce the time that patients wait to receive the care they need is a step in the right direction," he said.
"As our 10 steps Not 10 Years action plan stipulates, increased and recurrent funding is critical towards elective recovery and therefore we support the health minister’s plea to his executive colleagues to come together to find the necessary funding."
