Protests over hospital overcrowding take place across Ireland

Thousands of people have taken part in protests across the country to express anger at hospital overcrowding.

One of the biggest demonstrations was held in Limerick where people voiced anger at the long-term situation at University Hospital Limerick.

They demanded the reinstatement of full accident and emergency provision at other hospitals, such as Ennis in Co Clare and Neigh in Co Tipperary, to help tackle the problems at UHL – a hospital that regularly top the lists for trolley waits.

One of those who addressed the crowd was Melanie Cleary, whose 21-year-old daughter Eve died from a blood clot after leaving UHL following a lengthy trolley wait in 2019.

“This is no longer a health crisis, it’s a national disaster,” she said.

“Eve deserved better. We all deserve better. My children deserve better.”

She added: “When will this be enough for our government and the HSE, when will they be held to account? When another child dies? Another husband dies. Another mother, another father, sister, brother.

“One of our basic rights is decent healthcare. At some point in all our lives, we’re going need an A&E.”

The protests were organised as part of a national “Day of Action” to highlight concerns with hospital provision and overcrowding.

Among the other events organised were protests in Cork, Galway, Navan and Letterkenny.

While thousands attended the Limerick demonstration, some of the other rallies were much smaller in scale.

Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne said the situation with trolley waits was not acceptable.

“These patients who are on trolleys should not be going through what they’re doing,” he told RTE Radio One.

“Nobody can stand over it, not the Government, not the HSE and not the healthcare workers.”

He said the Government was now making record investment in the health service.

“What’s necessary is the increase of capacity in our hospitals right across the country,” said the minister.

“We’ve seen a deficit of investment for a significant amount of time and we are now seeing record investment in that capacity right across the country.”