action impacts 80,000 people

ALMOST 80,000 hospital and community health service appointments have been cancelled as a result of the nurses strike so far.

There has been a “considerable, huge impact” on the health service during the first three days of industrial action, the HSE’S chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry warned.

Patients who had their appointments cancelled during the first two days of the strike were previously promised they would be rescheduled within two weeks.

But as the industrial action progresses, Dr Henry told RTE News yesterday the HSE can no longer give that guarantee to the public.