Hundreds of nurses and their colleagues protested with members of the public outside four hospitals yesterday as the Irish Nurses' Organisation continued its series of protests over continued overcrowding in accident and emergency units.
More than 100 nurses, other medical staff, patients and former patients protested outside Beaumont Hospital in Dublin.
Eddie Mathews, industrial relations officer with the INO, said the extent of recent overcrowding at Beaumont Hospital had never been witnessed before. "We have 45 or 50 people waiting on trolleys and chairs at Beaumont. They have run out of trolleys, which in turn is delaying ambulances because they cannot bring their patients in," he said.
"It's just unacceptable that patients have to suffer like this. The Government has the wherewithal to solve the problem and they should solve it."
More than 200 people protested at Letterkenny Hospital yesterday while about 150 gathered outside Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.
Meanwhile, the protest outside the Mercy Hospital in Cork attracted about 70 nurses and members of the public.
The INO's Michael Dineen said the hospital's A&E unit was only equipped to take four trolleys - six at a maximum - but 16 or 17 trolleys were vying for space in the unit.
Patients Together, the patient lobby group, has expressed disappointment with the numbers attending the protests and has urged people to take to the streets to support the forthcoming protests.
Janette Byrne, Patients Together spokeswoman, said it was crucial that members of the public voiced their concern at the A&E crisis. "It could be you next or someone you know," she said.
"People will protest about the war, or about bin taxes or Bewley's closing but they won't take to the streets over the conditions in our A&E departments," she said.
The INO series of protests continues next Tuesday, with rallies at Naas General Hospital, University College Hospital Galway, Tralee General Hospital and Wexford General Hospital.
