Overcrowding in emer-gency departments is getting worse as centralisation continues without increased resources, and the problems are going to multiply if the health service faces funding cuts, a spokesman for the Irish Association of Emergency Medicine told IMT.
James Binchy said the media has lost interest in ED overcrowding because of economic woes, but said overcrowding is worsening because work is being transferred to large hospitals without any extra resources. EDs will be hardest hit by cuts, since they act as a ‘safety valve’ for the rest of the health service.
Bed closures, cutbacks in community services and decreased access to diagnostic services will dramatically increase the burden on EDs, and overcrowding is already worsening without budget cuts, said Binchy.
About Gary Culliton
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