The health service is facing into its worst winter crisis with record numbers of people on trolleys – and consultants set to take industrial action over the chaos.
There were 649 stricken patients waiting yesterday as Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin revealed staff at Cork University Hospital warned A&E overcrowding will cost lives.
Speaking in the Dail he said: “This was confirmed to me by experienced medical authorities who reluctantly said to me, ‘We have to admit some will die as a result of the overcrowding and the delayed treatment.’”
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation revealed under Fine Gael the annual number of people on trolleys has exploded from 66,308 in 2012 to 108,227 last year.
The IMO has described the latest figures as “obscene”.
The worst hit yesterday was CUH where 65 patients had no bed while there were 57 on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick.
Sinn Fein’s health spokeswoman Louise O’Reilly warned Health Minister Simon Harris must “get a grip” on the crisis before the peak winter season.
She said: “The trolley crisis has been continuously escalating under Simon Harris’ tenure.
“Last year saw the largest number of patients on trolleys in recorded history.
“Fine Gael has had eight years to address this crisis, but it only made it worse.
“This year the crisis has continued on the same trajectory as the last. The most recent figures from the INMO show last month was the worst October on record for overcrowding. The figures are staggering, and we haven’t yet hit peak of winter.”
The Irish Medical Organisation is set to take industrial action because the Government has failed to address the Consultant recruitment and retention crisis which is linked to waiting lists and patients on trolleys.
Spokesman Dr Matthew Sadlier said: “The Government is ignoring the dire implications of the recruitment crisis.”
His colleague Dr Anthony O’Connor added: “Our health service is at breaking point.
“Our doctors are being trained for export to countries with better healthcare systems, that value both patients and doctors.”
