There was almost a 20% increase in the numbers waiting on trolleys in University Hospital Kerry during March this year.
That’s according to figures from the Irish Nurses’ and Midwives’ Organisation.
The INMO figures show there were 401 patients on trolleys in UHK during the month of March, that’s an increase of 18.6% when compared to the same month last year when 338 people waited on trolleys.
In March of 2021, there were 144 people waiting on trolleys, while there were 169 people waiting for a bed in UHK during the same month in 2020.
In 2019, the number of people waiting for a bed at UHK during March stood at 360, while it was 297 in 2018.
Nationally, 12,943 people have been without a hospital bed throughout the third month of this year.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha, who is from Ventry, says this has been the worst March for overcrowding since the INMO began counting trolleys in 2006.
She says it’s time for the HSE and Department of Health to devise a multi-annual plan to tackle overcrowding.
She says it’s clear that it’s no longer just a winter overcrowding crisis but a year-long one.
The INMO has sought to meet with the HSE to discuss these issues.
