Nearly 45,000 hospital appointments cancelled over two-month period

Patients are waiting on trolleys in corridors at Limerick's Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Dooradoyle. Picture: Emma Jervis/Press 22

The country's hospitals saw record levels of in-patient cancellations over the winter months as the country's health system struggled with an emergency department crisis.

Overall, close to 45,000 inpatient appointments were cancelled across December and January amidst the worst overcrowding crisis ever seen in Irish hospitals, with fears now expressed that this backlog is going to continue to cause issues in the coming months.