The Health Minister is being urged to address the issue of overcrowding at our hospitals, and declare a national emergency.
According to the latest figures, the number of patients on trollies in November is up 44 per cent on last year nationally. Letterkenny General Hospital bucks that trend however, with a fall of 77%.
The issue of hospital overcrowding has been a contentious one for many years, with the INMO publishing a daily report on the number of patients on trollies in hospitals, either in the Emergency Department or on wards.
In November 2007, the INMO logged 6 patients on trollies in 2007, 25 in 2008 and 2009, 26 in 2010 and rose sharply to 81 in 2011.
In 2012, the figure fell to 68, but last year, 2013 saw a massive increase to 209.
Last month, that figure had fallen to 47.
The 2013 rise could be partly attributed to the July flooding which had a severe impact on hospital services, and saw the Emergency Department located in temporary pre-fabs.
Liam Doran of the INMO says this is a presing issue nationally, and he wants to see government action to address it……
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