The process is aimed at preventing delays.
The National Treatment Purchase Fund's ‘validation’ process removed over 6,000 people from outpatient waiting lists in the midlands last year.
The process is used to prevent delays caused when appointments are offered to people who no longer need one.
Nearly 2,800 people were removed from the outpatient waiting list in Tullamore Hospital in 2023 - that figure is 1,700 in both Portlaoise and Mullingar hospitals.
GP Dr. John Sheehan, says the validation process can cause frustration:
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