Patients 'abandoned' as treatments cancelled in five hospitals due to UHL overcrowding

There are a number of exceptions to the cancellations, including cancer services, dialysis for kidney disease patients, cardiology services, and care at the Rapid Access Medical Unit among other services

University Hospital Limerick (UHL) has been forced to again delay care for large numbers of elective patients as numbers spiral at its emergency department, reaching 120 on Thursday. File picture: Dan Linehan

Patients in five hospitals whose treatments were cancelled due to overcrowding in University Hospital Limerick have been abandoned by this “unbelievable, unnecessary” move, the Irish Hospital Consultants Association said.

The cancellations followed severe overcrowding in UHL with 120 patients without a bed on Thursday, 127 on Wednesday and 103 on Tuesday, as counted by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.