DESPITE some minor problems and a little confusion, most hospitals were functioning reasonably normally and did not encounter any major setbacks yesterday following the postponement of the strike.
Hospital services operated as normal in the Southern Health Board region of Cork and Kerry. Appointments for acute treatment were rescheduled and patients were contacted by the hospitals about new appointment dates.
Out patient clinics operated as normal, with the public advised to adhere to their original appointments and to ignore cancellations which they received last week.
All community care services also operated as normal, as did mental health services and services for the mentally handicapped.
The Mid Western Health Board was setting up plans to contact the 800 patients who had operations or medical appointments at local hospitals cancelled.
Contact was being made with between 50 and 100 patients who had appointments listed for today, mainly at the 375 bed Regional Hospital at Dooradoyle, Limerick and at the Regional Maternity Hospital, Limerick.
Mr Tim Kenneally, secretary of the 90 bed St John's Voluntary Hospital, Limerick, said it had scaled down its intake of patients and had only 53 beds occupied yesterday.
Patients with appointments had been informed initially that if the strike was called off, they should attend the hospital as arranged.
Ms Deirdre Gillane, industrial relations officer for the INO in Limerick, Clare and north Tipperary, said all staff reported for duty at the various hospitals yesterday.
The two health board hospitals in Galway were "functioning as normal" yesterday, according to a spokesman for the Western Health Board, Mr William Moran. Patients whose appointments had been cancelled in anticipation of a strike had been advised to turn up if the strike was postponed or cancelled. This had minimised the disruption.
A spokeswoman for Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar said the hospital was "back to normal".