All non-urgent elective surgeries have been postponed at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin today because of overcrowding.
It comes after University Hospital Limerick took the decision yesterday to postpone non-cancer and non-trauma related elective surgery having experienced the highest level of overcrowding of any hospital in the country for three days running
Flu season has led to increasing pressure on hospitals around the country – Cork University Hospital, the Mater Hospital in and St James in Dublin, University Hospital Galway and Sligo Regional Hospital also experiencing high volumes of patients in their Emergency Departments.
The Minister for Health Leo Varadkar says the cancellation of elective surgeries is part of measures agreed with nurses to ease pressure in EDs.
However, President of the Irish Medical Organisation, Dr Ray Walley, says these measures have a knock-on effect on GPs
