Patients on trolleys quadruple in first six month of this year
Overcrowding at Our Lady’s Hospital in Navan has almost quadrupled in the first six months of this year in comparison to last year.
A startling 116 people languished on trolleys in the Navan hospital last month, which was more than double the figure of 53 for June 2016, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s Trolley Watch report.
The figure for the first six months of this year are a whopping 1183, up from 314 in the same period last year.
There was also an increase in the numbers on trolleys in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda last month, 313 in comparison to 279 in June 2016.
However, the figures for the first six months of this year
in Drogheda Hospital fell from 2852 last year to 1746 this
year.
Cathaoirleach of the Save Navan Hospital Campaign Deputy Peadar Tóibín described the figures as shocking. 
“These figures show that amount of people who were forced to spend at least a night on a trolley in Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan. There has been a steady and worrying growth in this number over the past decade.
“Last month, 116 people had no option but to stay on trolleys. This is over twice the number compared to June 2016. 1183 people were forced to stay on hospital trolleys in the first six months of this year. This is almost four times the amount of people in the same period last year with 314 patients on trolleys from January to June 2016.”
Deputy Tóibín warned that delayed treatment in over crowded spaces leads to poor out comes for patients.
“Indeed A&E overcrowding leads to about 300 deaths throughout the state in total. It is also a kick in the teeth for patients privacy and integrity, especially when elderly patients have to endure their illness for hours in an over crowded space.”
He said Drogheda Hospital was not much better with 1746 people on trolleys for the first six months of the year.
“The trend is seen across the nation and indicates the poor state of health of our health system – with chronic capacity issues and problems recruiting and retaining staff contributing to the chaos.
“Funding cuts and outworking of the recruitment embargo, as well as bed closures and loss of staff have further eroded the capacity of our health system to deliver. Patients are at greater risk. Hard working staff are under even greater pressure.
“It is vital that Minister Harris acknowledges the extent of the problem and brings forward emergency measure to the A&E Taskforce meeting. His current approach is clearly not working. I am also urging Taoiseach Varadkar to prioritise investment in our health service above populist tax cuts in the upcoming budget,” he concluded