An elderly man with a serious heart condition has been left waiting on a trolley in a hospital for over 48 hours.
Bobby Madden, 81, was admitted to the A&E Department of University Hospital Galway (UHG) on Sunday afternoon on the advice of his cardiologist but said he has still not been given a bed.
Mr Madden told The Irish Examiner he is unable to sleep due to the noise around him.
He said: “The place is terribly noisy, it is hard to hear you, but I was admitted on Sunday lunchtime.
"There has been no chance of any sleep, there is noise the whole time. It is awful.
"There is very little space, trollies everywhere. My condition is serious or otherwise, I would not be here. But this is dreadful.
"I have been here since Sunday lunchtime and I still do not have a bed."
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Mr Madden's family have appealed to hospital bosses and local representatives for help to secure a bed for the ill man but have had no luck so far.
Galway East TD Sean Canney has made enquiries on Mr Madden's behalf and was told a bed was promised but was yet to be delivered.
The HSE released the following statement this afternoon, saying that the emergency department had been inundated over the past 24 hours.
It said: "The Emergency Department at University Hospital Galway has been extremely busy over the last week.
"We have admitted a significant number of ill patients recently, many of whom remain in the ED, awaiting a bed.
"We apologise for the distress or inconvenience caused to patients or their loved ones who are experiencing long wait times.
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"We particularly regret that elderly patients are waiting long periods for admission. We cannot comment on any individual patient due to patient confidentiality.
"We are committed to treating everyone who presents at our ED but we do so strictly in order of medical priority and apologise for the long wait times currently.
"We have had very high numbers of patients attending the Emergency Department in UHG in recent days – over the 24 hour period yesterday we had 266 patients attending the ED, our highest ever attendance."
Mr Madden's doctor says his patient will have to go home soon if he is not given a bed as remaining on a trolley could worsen his condition.
According to the INMO's National Trolley Watch latest figures, 571 patients nationwide were waiting for a bed this morning, with 38 waiting at UHG.
