The Health Minister Leo Varadkar has said that patients safety will be compromised during the upcoming nurses strike action at many of the country’s emergency departments.
Mr Varadkar’s comments come after the INMO voted 58% to 42% against recent settlement proposals made by the HSE regarding the current overcrowding crisis. The Health Minister has said he is very disappointed with the outcome, and strike action would do nothing to alleviate the overcrowded emergency rooms.
Mr Varadkar told reporters: “I am disappointed that they decided to reject the proposals brokered by the WRC by a margin of 58% to 42%.” “Strike action during the busiest time of the year will not resolve overcrowding, but will compromise patient safety.”
Before adding: “It took several weeks to negotiate the agreement that has now been rejected and I would ask them not to go ahead with the strike next week in order to allow time to pause for reflection.”