Over-expenditure at the hospitals situated between the regions of Limerick to Donegel has resulted in a financial shortfall by €50 million.

The authorities of Health and Safety Executives will be conducting a meeting to discuss the effective measures to overcome the shortfall, with the trade union of the region. As per the statistics revealed by officials, the hospitals had made expenditure of €46 million and above. Also, the community service centres had made an over-expenditure amounting to €4 million.

The health service authorities in other areas have commenced restrictive measures on the use of medical staff for services beyond the duty hours, so as to fight the problem of overcrowdings in the hospital. The hospitals were not implying any reduction in the expenditure to treat people, because till now they were not experiencing a pressure as a consequence of overspendings.

The nurses working in the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick were ordered to hold back the medical services, as a move to support the protest of the increasing number of patients visiting the emergency department. The nurses of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) and Siptu have also stopped working.

In reference to the overcrowding at the emergency department, INMO states, “The absence of approximately €13 million in funding which was promised for the reconfiguration process by the previous minister but never materialized”.