We are in a State of emergency

JUST when the public thought the hospital overcrowding crisis couldn’t get any worse it hits an horrific new level.

It is a national scandal that 714 patients were languishing on trolleys and chairs in emergency departments and corridors yesterday.

At the same time our Taoiseach is in the US talking up a country which is supposed to be Europe’s hi-tech hub.

The rest of his ministers are also on their annual junkets to foreign parts to hype the State that will do everything in its power to help the multinationals avoid tax while at the same time will not provide a proper health service for its citizens.

The HSE has again rolled out the usual excuses such as a more-serious-than-usual flu outbreak, to cover for a system that is on the brink of collapse.

The INMO has been warning for years this crisis was escalating out of control and it has now reached the stage where a national emergency must be declared.

It is not surprising Mr Varadkar is spending millions on his spin machine as he and his Government appear to have given up on tackling the trolley crisis.

This situation should not be allowed to continue.

The public must not accept a Third-world health service and must make the disintegrating health service an election issue.