Hospitals could be swamped in flu epidemic, warn nurses
General secretary of the Irish Nurses' Organisation (INO) Liam Doran said canceling all planned surgery would be the only way hospitals could even attempt to cope but that was also presuming that staff would not be badly hit by the virus themselves. "The potential for serious difficulty is genuinely there," he warned.
At the INO's executive council meeting yesterday, members who work as community nurses said they believed the country was on the brink of a flu epidemic.
Mr Doran said the nurses were becoming increasingly concerned because of a marked increase in the number of people who have contracted the virus in the past two weeks. "All the signs, as they read them, are very bad," he stressed.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health said there was no shortage of the flu vaccine and further contingency supplies could be provided, if required, to meet increased demand.
The vaccine is free to 'at risk' groups but those who are not medical card holders will have to pay a fee, which can vary widely.
Minister of State at the Department of Health Ivor Callely said that, while the fee for administering the vaccine was a matter between the GP and patient, he thought reported fees of between 50 and 60 were excessive.
Meanwhile, the INO is to ask the ICTU to organise a cross-union protest against overcrowding in accident and emergency (A&E) units.
The INO also wrote to the Labour Relations Commission yesterday, asking for a meeting of the A&E Forum, established as part of the settlement of an A&E dispute 19 months ago.
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has urged Health Minister Micheál Martin to act on the overcrowding crisis by instructing the Eastern Regional Health Authority to purchase beds from nursing homes to help relieve the.
"There are approximately 140 patients waiting for admission to the major Dublin hospitals while, at the same time, there are 200 patients who could be discharged to nursing homes if hospital management and the ERHA has the desire to do so," said IHCA secretary general Finbar Fitzpatrick.
The plight of A&E patients should not be dealt with at the expense of those waiting for surgery, he said.
