Minister for Health Leo Varadkar said there is still a "very serious problem" with overcrowding in emergency departments, 10 years after he worked in them as a junior doctor .
Mr Varadkar was speaking at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin this morning where he worked as a junior doctor in 2004 and 2005.
The Minister said he understood the frustrations of nurses who have demonstrated outside the hospital at lunch times complaining that Beaumont was near breaking point because of patients lying on trolleys and understaffing.
“It is a long-standing problem which has been going on as long as I remember to when I was working in accident and emergency departments myself,” he said.
“I would thank them (nurses and doctors) for sticking with it. It’s not an easy place to work. It’s not for everyone. They have a lot of respect from Government for sticking it out. It is not easy to resolve but it is something I want to resolve in 2015 for sure.
It’s frustrating to see the problem of overcrowding persisting through boom years and bust,” he added.
Mr Varadkar suggested a care package designed to aid the 800 patients in Irish hospitals who are delayed discharges might relieve pressure on accident and emergency departments.
Mr Varadkar said he will shortly present a plan to Government to deal with those in acute hospitals who could be n other care settings.
The Minister made his comments after opening the new Cardiac Intervention Unit at Beaumont.
Construction of the facility and the refurbishment of an existing intervention unit cost €2.2 million.
The unit is an examination room equipped with imaging technology which allows doctors to diagnose and treat heart conditions using catheters instead of surgery.
Mr Varadkar said it was opening despite the budgetary constraints on the health service.
“It is still possible to find some money to invest in modern technology and new high-quality facilities. When we hear about health it is usually because something has gone wrong. But there are lots of positive developments happening in our health service and we should acknowledge them too.”
The new unit replaces existing equipment which is 12 years old.
