Mater protest highlights ongoing A&E crisis

The crisis in hospital A & E departments comes under the spotlight again this afternoon as the Patients Together group and members of the Labour Party protest outside Dublin's Mater hospital.

The aim of the demonstration is to highlight the recent ward closures and cuts in vital treatments and services.

Speaking ahead of today's protest, Labour's Joe Costello said: “It’s more than five months now since the Tánaiste Mary Harney took over in the Department of Health, and we thought there would be some improvements from her 10-point plan.

“But last week, if anything, the situation was as bad or worse than it has been for weeks and months, so we are continuing the protest,” he said.