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05/09/2016
Shortage Of Acute Hospital Beds Is Causing Chaos - IMO
The shortage of acute hospital beds in causing "chaos" in Emergency Departments across Ireland, according to the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO).
Dr. Peadar Gilligan, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Beaumont Hospital and Chairman of the IMO Consultant Committee, said that Emergency Department overcrowding will not only continue but is guaranteed to worsen as long as the Government refuse to fund additional public beds in hospitals.
She said: "The problem is actually quite simple. Our population is rising and we have cut 1,600 public beds from our hospitals. That goes back to an ill-fated decision in 2004 to reduce the number of acute public hospital beds. We're still paying a price for that. Put those together and a crisis in our public hospitals is inevitable. Any attempt to deal with the problem which doesn't increase the bed count is PR led not evidence based."
Dr Gilligan also criticised the use of public funds to pay for treatments in private hospitals (under the National Treatment Purchase Fund/NTPF). He said the use of the NTPF diverts scarce resources to private hospitals. Its counter productive and rewards the private rather than the public sector.
(CD/LM)
Dr. Peadar Gilligan, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Beaumont Hospital and Chairman of the IMO Consultant Committee, said that Emergency Department overcrowding will not only continue but is guaranteed to worsen as long as the Government refuse to fund additional public beds in hospitals.
She said: "The problem is actually quite simple. Our population is rising and we have cut 1,600 public beds from our hospitals. That goes back to an ill-fated decision in 2004 to reduce the number of acute public hospital beds. We're still paying a price for that. Put those together and a crisis in our public hospitals is inevitable. Any attempt to deal with the problem which doesn't increase the bed count is PR led not evidence based."
Dr Gilligan also criticised the use of public funds to pay for treatments in private hospitals (under the National Treatment Purchase Fund/NTPF). He said the use of the NTPF diverts scarce resources to private hospitals. Its counter productive and rewards the private rather than the public sector.
(CD/LM)
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