2,000 of those have been waiting over a year.
Over 2,000 people have been waiting longer than a year for an appointment at the midlands hospitals.
Figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund's monthly figures for March show in total, 30,000 people were on a waiting list for an appointment in the region.
Of that number, over 4,000 are children.
The issue is most severe in Tullamore, where 13,000 people are on an in-patient or out-patient waiting list.
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association says the figures spark fears the waiting lists may take a decade or more to get under control unless the opening of long-promised additional capacity is fast-tracked by the Government.
Midlands Gardaí Appeal For Witnesses To Fatal Crash
Midlands Security & Defence Analyst Says Hoax Bomb Threats Aimed To Intimidate
Almost €446,000 Allocated To Midlands Community Centres And Clubhouses
Midlands Family Takes On Ireland’s Fittest Family Challenge
5K Fundraiser To Support Motor Neurone Disease Association Takes Place In Westmeath
No Slowing Down With Age As Westmeath Bowlers Shine At 14th Annual National Bowls Competition
Woman Appears In Court Over €280k Cannabis Seizure In Midlands