The Minister for Health, James Reilly, has started work on cutting hospital waiting lists.
According to a report carried by the Irish Independent, James Reilly has written to HSE chief Tony O'Brien, warning that no public patient should have to wait more than eight months for an appointment, from next June.
Management has been given until December to hit the target.
Thousands of people waited more than eight months for an appointment last year, and the Minister is now insisting that cannot happen again.