Minister for Health, Simon Harris has warned that the country’s hospitals are facing a “very challenging time” due to the extreme nationwide influenza outbreak.
Speaking this afternoon, Mr Harris, said 612 patients affected patients are lying on trolleys in hospitals nationwide today.
This figure marks a record high for the amount of people on trolleys at Irish hospitals.
Winter always adds extra challenge for the hospital sector, but Mr Harris worryingly said the challenges presented “are not just the challenges of a normal winter”.
Mr Harris has rejected an assertion by the Irish Association of Emergency Medicine that this situation was “entirely predictable”.
“It is interesting that everybody says something is predictable after it has happened. Perhaps next time they will tell us in advance,” he said in response.
“My department will commence a bed capacity review of beds in our acute hospitals and across our health service and I want it done in time for the mid term review. But to have beds you have to have staff. And it is important before we open new beds that we ensure every bed within the system is adequately staffed,” he said.
Discussions are due to take place with the HSE this Thursday on how to handle the outbreak.