The University of Limerick hospital(UHL) group has confirmed that all planned surgeries for today at five hospitals in its group have been postponed for a second day.
All elective procedures at UHL, Ennis, Nenagh, St John’s and Croom orthopaedic hospitals are postponed for today due to overcrowding in the Emergency Department where hospital management says extremely high numbers of very ill patients are attending for healthcare.
Hospital management is to continue to review planned and elective health care on a daily basis.
The ongoing overcrowding crisis at UHL was raised in the Dáil yesterday during leader’s questions. Sinn Fein Party leader Mary Lou McDonald detailed the case of an elderly patient who was recently on a trolley in the hospital for eight days.
Deputy Mary Lou McDonald and An Taoiseach traded numbers about the hospital in terms of overcrowding, staff numbers, waiting lists and planned new beds.
An Taoiseach , Leo Varadkar, accepted that staff are working under enormous pressure and patients are experiencing things they should not have to experience.
The Dáil heard that the hospital budget increased by 45% over the last four years and that extra doctors and nurses are now employed at UHL.
Deputy McDonald called on the Government to fund the 1,500 rapid-build beds nationwide that were promised on three separate occasions last year to address overcrowding.
