There’s a stark contrast in overcrowding in Galway hospitals today, with UHG the second most overcrowded in the country while Portiuncula has no patients on trolleys.
There are a total of 54 patients on trolleys at University Hospital Galway today, the second highest figure in the country.
Of those patients, 46 are waiting on trolleys in the hospital’s Emergency Departments, and another 8 are without a bed in the wards.
In more positive news, INMO Trolley/Ward Watch figures show no patients left without a bed at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe this morning.
Nationwide there are a total of 484 people in Irish hospitals for whom no bed is available today.
University Hospital Limerick is the worst affected by the overcrowding, with a staggering 91 people left on trolleys.
This is followed by UHG (54), Cork University Hospital (41), and Letterkenny University Hospital (36).
Commenting on last month’s figures, INMO President Phil Ní Sheaghdha said that a decision needs to be made on elective procedures.
“The call has to be made now ahead of what is going to be a dangerous situation to curtail non-urgent elective activity and ensure that our private hospitals are available to assist. There is absolutely no point in waiting until we are mid-crisis to act.”
“The current moratorium on recruitment which is predicted to get worse in the early part of next year will require further curtailment of services and the HSE must ensure that that is planned in order to avoid this continuous discommoding of patients on the day of procedures.”
