INO: Hospitals face major chaos

The Irish Nurses Organisation’s General Secretary Liam Doran has warned that the health service will face severe difficulties next year due to inadequate financial allocations and a lack of special funding in the budget.

In addition, he fears that key aspects of the Government’s own health strategy will not be implemented.

The INO is forewarning of chaos in the hospital system in 2004, including a shortage of acute hospital beds, continuing severe overcrowding in A&E Departments, long delays on trolleys all around the country, continuing shortage of nursing home/rehabilitation beds and continuing cutbacks in community services, including child welfare and home help.

The INO will be seeking an urgent meeting with the Minister for Health and Children, Micheál Martin, to discuss how he proposes to address these shortcomings.