Surgeries will be cancelled due to health staff exodus

Surgeries will be cancelled in public hospitals to cope with the exodus of health staff under the Government’s early retirement scheme.

The admission by Dr James Reilly, the health minister, comes as the Government faces legal action from former health staff over a botched calculation of their retirement packages.

Dr Reilly said scheduled operations could be delayed while the health system struggles to fill gaps from at least 3,500 staff who were expected to leave by the end of this month.