Sinn Féin Health spokesperson Louise O’Reilly TD has said that inaction from Health Minister Simon Harris to invest in our health service has left vulnerable patients lying on trolleys, and that the service will face an even greater strain over the coming winter months.

The comments come as the INMO published figures showing there were not enough beds for 11,452 patients in Irish hospitals this October.

Teachta O’Reilly said;

“The current situation across the health service is abysmal. This past October has been the second worst month for patient overcrowding since INMO records began.

“The thousands of people forced onto hospital trolleys month after month are a direct result of the policy choices of Minister Harris and his Fine Gael colleagues.

“We cannot tolerate a health service dragged into a constant state of crisis by bad policies and inaction. The solutions are there. It’s time to start implementing them.

“Fine Gael are destroying our health service. They have had almost a decade to address this crisis, but it has only gotten worse under their tenure.

“In our alternative budget, we showed the immediate steps needed to tackle this ongoing problem, including recruiting extra nurses, doctors and staff and opening an additional 500 beds.

“Minister Harris needs to stop sitting idly by and begin real investment in directly employed staff into our health service if its to stay afloat through the winter.”