The president of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation says the health system as it stands at present is ‘utterly and totally sick.’
Donegal native Martina Harkin-Kelly, who trained in Sligo and who has worked in the Sligo/Leitrim/Cavan area, was speaking on the North West Today Show as trolley figures are set to exceed those of last year.
And that’s before the full onset of the winter flu season.
She says a recruitment embargo is still in place, even though it may be called by a different name.
She says while the welfare of patients is the main concern, the current situation in the health service is also impacting on health professionals, including nurses.
Health Minister Simon Harris says while the number of people waiting is too high, he is trying to address it with additional funding:
