Vital hospital equipment failing across the country

Vital equipment used for high-risk surgery in a number of hospitals across the country has failed to work when operated on a number of occasions this year alone.

The Department of Health has written several times to the Finance Minister seeking funds to replace the run down equipment, which they say, is unnecessarily putting the lives of people at risk.

Fergal Bowers of irishhealth.com says the state of the health system is worse than previously thought.

"One of the major flaws in the system is failing equipment, vital equipment, for example a piece of the heart treatment equipment that has failed 28 times this year at St Vincent's Hospital.

"There are sterilisation machines that aren't working and an extremely dangerous breach of health and safety guidelines."