NI waiting lists: 'I feel I've been let down a wee bit'
Northern Ireland has the worst hospital waiting times of any UK region.
The most recent statistics reveal that one in four people in Northern Ireland is on a waiting list.
County Antrim man Brian Revels was among those waiting for surgery.
He told BBC News NI he felt let down by the health service after funding his own hip replacement.
From the start of the pandemic, almost all elective surgery was cancelled in Northern Ireland, as wards were closed and nurses moved to work solely in Covid areas.
The move only exacerbated the waiting list crisis.
On Tuesday, the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) said it was crucial that surgical services were not "stood down" again.