Meanwhile, two of the largest hospitals in the country have warned people to stay away due to high levels of influenza patients.

As 597 admitted patients waited for a bed in the country's public acute hospitals this morning, Health Minister Simon Harris announced that up to 190 beds will be opened in the coming weeks.

Medical card holders will no longer have to go to their GP for a prescription for the morning-after-pill from July 1.

Ireland is becoming less attractive to Filipino nurses who have traditionally propped up our health service because of soaring living costs, difficulties with a clinical adaptation programme, and negative experiences with some host “foster families”.

Nurses are also being told to submit statement of concern forms to management in their hospitals.

Both sides in the nurses dispute have until this morning to decide if an agreement can be reached to avert strike action.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has warned nurses that an imminent strike over Ireland’s ongoing hospital trolley crisis “will not help anyone” as he insisted the problem is being addressed and “the numbers speak for themselves”.

Just before Health Minister Leo Varadkar announced the relocation of Limerick Maternity Hospital to Dooradoyle yesterday, nurses at the facility warned they would be protesting outside the hospital over staffing and resources.

DESPITE promises by the Government, Health Minister Leo Varadkar, and HSE management, the issue of overcrowding in the nation’s hospitals continues to worsen.

A seriously ill mother who has been in remission from cancer for nine weeks was left in a storage room at a leading hospital for three days because bed shortages meant there was nowhere else to put her.

Ambulance crews are queuing up at the emergency department of a major hospital and waiting up to two hours before they can unload patients and are released to return to duty.

Midwives say unsafe staffing levels in maternity units around the country could lead to a repeat of the catastrophic systems failures that claimed the life of Savita Halappanavar.

Nurses and midwives are expected to pass an emergency motion for industrial action today, which will include the withdrawal of labour.

Almost 400 people are waiting on trolleys to be admitted to hospitals nationwide today.

The Irish Medical Organisation has become the latest public service representative body to recommend its members reject the terms of Croke Park II.

The head of the HSE's Special Delivery Unit, Tony O'Brien, has said an unnamed hospital is facing significant fines for keeping a number of patients waiting for treatment for more than a year.

Nurses at Limerick's Mid Western Regional Hospital are said to be considering taking further industrial action after 11 hours of talks with management broke down last night.

IN an article entitled “Nurses’ concern over proposed hospital cuts” in yesterday’s newspaper (August 11), reference was made to Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation industrial organiser Noel Traynor.

The HSE has agreed to defer plans to axe 52 agency nurses in Cork University Hospital (CUH) and Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) in order to enter into up a week of negotiations with the Irish Nurses’ and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

The HSE chief executive said today that the health service needs to change, since the current system is still not working well enough.

The Health Service Executive is backing the call from student nurses and midwives to retain pay for fourth year trainees.

THE viability of several regional hospitals are threatened by government cutbacks, the SIPTU trade union has warned.

Over 10,000 people protested in Mullingar today against the proposed cutbacks planned for the Midlands Regional Hospital.

PUBLIC service industrial action will continue next week as union leaders meet government officials in an attempt to broker a deal on pay cuts and changes to working practices.

Talks are taking place at the Labour Relations Commission to avert strike action at the four Bon Secours Hospitals across the country.

Strike action at the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin will go ahead from Monday morning.

Strike action at the Mater Private Hospital will go ahead next Monday.

Talks to avert a strike at the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin get underway at the Labour Relations Commission today.

Nurses at the Midwestern Regional Hospital in Limerick will today step up their industrial action in protest against overcrowding at the hospital.