25% surge in numbers treated on hospital trolleys

THE number of people treated on hospital trolleys this winter is 25% higher than this time last year — and may grow further if more people cancel their health insurance due to budget-induced price hikes.

Trolley count figures for the past five weeks show that, despite senior officials insisting the Christmas 2010 overcrowding crisis will not be repeated, hospitals are already witnessing a surge in emergency department intake.

According to the INMO figures, the number of people forced to wait for treatment on public hospital trolleys rose from 6,999 in November 2010 to 7,484 last month — a 7% increase.