My father died in a crowded public ward with television blaring

The daughter of a well-known Limerick businessman has described how her dying father was left for more than 12 hours on a hospital trolley surrounded by drunks and sick patients.

Eddie Moloney, 73, passed away beneath a blaring television in a crowded public ward among other patients and their families as they cheered and applauded a rugby match.

In a statement, University Hospital Limerick said: “Where possible, a patient identified as being at the end of life is prioritised for a bed — preferably in a single room — and an end-of-life care section is built in to our bed-booking systems to facilitate this.