Overflowing hospitals a real scandal

IT’S early January, it’s flu season and our hospitals are overflowing.

Record numbers on trolleys and patients urged not to go to A&E. Sounds like Groundhog Day?

The first week of the New Year has been marked by the same shameful scenario as in the previous three years.

A leaked report warns that an additional 9,000 hospital beds will be needed over the next decade to relieve the trolley crisis.

There’s nothing new in this revelation – after all we have an ageing population and supply must keep up with demand.

But what is new is Health Minister Simon Harris’ ready admission we have a problem and without a remedy it’s not going away any time soon.

The report also recommends changing the model, investing in care in the community, and providing day hospitals to deal with non-acute cases.

Again, not rocket science. Reduce the pressure by treating less urgent cases elsewhere and it gives a bit of breathing space.

But here’s the real problem. The review hasn’t even been published yet, never mind sourcing the money to provide the solutions it recommends.

And why has it taken until January 2018, a full year since we last witnessed such scenes of neglect and degradation in hospital corridors, to complete it?

Our country is in crisis and our politicians seem to be doing little more than running around like headless chickens.