Waterford TD hits out at government over ongoing hospital bed crisis
Overcrowding continues to be a problem in hospitals across the country, in what local TD David Cullinane says is a "permanent, year-round crisis."
Recent figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) show that 617 sick patients were being treated in Irish hospitals on trolleys, chairs and other inappropriate spaces following the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Waterford TD and Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane, has said that 617 admitted patients being left without a hospital bed mid-summer shows that overcrowding in public hospitals is now a "permanent, year-round crisis".
When announcing the figures, INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said that warnings expressed by the organisation were not listened to.
"It is clear that the HSE have failed to heed the warnings of the INMO all throughout this summer," she said.
"Now patients are bearing the brunt of what was a totally avoidable trolley crisis during one of the hottest summers on record," she added
In 2024, the government promised to deliver almost 3,000 additional hospital beds by 2031.
Deputy Cullinane said the current situation clearly shows the government is not moving at a quick enough pace of delivery, and that the full capital funding has still not been provided.
"Budget 2027 must fully fund the delivery of these beds and set out a clear hospital-by-hospital timetable for when they will open," he said.
"Sinn Féin would invest in additional hospital capacity; recruit the nurses, doctors and healthcare professionals needed to safely staff those beds; and expand community, rehabilitation, home-support and step-down services," he added.
He went on to comment: “This is how we reduce overcrowding, prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and allow patients who are medically ready to leave hospital to be discharged safely."
