Thousands of people lined the streets across the country yesterday to highlight chronic overcrowding at 18 hospitals.
Rallies were held in Limerick, Cork, Kerry, Galway, Letterkenny and Navan in protest at long delays faced by patients.
Gardai estimated 11,000 took part in the demonstration through the centre of Limerick city alone.
Read More : 'This hasn’t sunk in' - Christy Dignam's Aslan bandmates praying for a miracle
The emergency department at University Hospital Limerick – now the Mid-West region’s only A&E – is the most overcrowded in the country.
According to the Irish Medical Organisation, 482 admitted patients were waiting for beds on Friday, with 367 waiting in EDs and 115 in wards elsewhere in hospitals.
A minute’s silence was held in Limerick for the 126 people who were waiting at UHL last year during record overcrowding.
Another minute’s silence was held for 16-year-old Aoife Johnston who died of meningitis at UHL in December after spending 16 hours on a trolley. Aoife’s family joined the protest, clutching a photograph of her.
Melanie Cleary, whose daughter Eve, 21, died in 2019 after spending 17 hours on a trolley at UHL, addressed the crowd.
She said: “The Minister for Health continues to ignore my emails to meet with our family.
“Over the years I’ve had messages and phone calls from other families that have sought advice on their loved ones.
“How sad is this? That we have been so let down in the Midwest that we seek help from other victims.”
She added: “People need to feel safe and know that they are safe.
“Eve asked all the right questions about her care and she should be here today. This is no longer a health crisis. It’s a national disaster.”
In Meath, chair of the Save Navan Hospital Campaign Peadar Toibin TD said people were “incredibly angry and frustrated”.
He added: “The old and the sick have been treated horrendously. The experience of so many has been massively damaged by the lack of capacity is the ED system.”
Yesterday, a crowd gathered to protest at overcrowding at Letterkenny University Hospital.
Despite lingering snow and ice from earlier in the week, more than 200 people gathered in freezing conditions close to the Co Donegal facility.
Letterkenny Hospital Campaign spokeswoman Mary T Sweeney said there were different facets to overcrowding locally and nationally.
She said: “Management needs to engage with the nurses, doctors and the consultants to see how exactly we can resolve this.”
Paul McDaid told how he attended the A&E at the hospital six months ago with his son who had a fractured arm.
He said: “We waited in casualty for 17 hours to be seen. I am not having a go at the staff because they were terrific but the system is broken.
“When a child is is horrific pain and has to wait almost a day to be treated there is something drastically wrong with our healthcare system.”
READ NEXT:
Nadine Lott's killer attacked in jail and 'would be killed' if out of line again
David Haye appears to confirm Una Healy 'throuple' romance as he breaks silence
Doctor, 30, dies in 'freak' drowning accident after car reverses into Mayo river
Driver tests positive for drugs then bites garda's finger off in horror incident
RTE Tommy Tiernan Show viewers praise 'inspirational' guest who refuses to be 'victim'
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
