'Act now': Hiqa tells ministers new hospital needed as Limerick faces worst trolley crisis

Hiqa told the Oireachtas Health Committee that long-term investment, including a new hospital, is essential to tackle Limerick’s chronic overcrowding

The meeting took place as 82 patients waited on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) for a bed. File picture

The Government must consider building a new hospital with an emergency department, alongside short-term reforms in the Midwest, the health watchdog Hiqa told the Oireachtas Health Committee on Wednesday.

The meeting took place as 82 patients waited on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) for a bed, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. It was the most overcrowded hospital in Ireland.