A shortage of beds at Dublin's Beaumont Hospital left a number of sick people lying on trollies and waiting for more than 24 hours at the hospital's accident and emergency department yesterday.
Ms Jennifer McCord (22), from Artane, Dublin, who has glandular fever and a mild form of hepatitis, had to lie on a trolley in a corridor waiting for a bed since Wednesday afternoon. She was still on a trolley last night.
According to her family, there were about 50 other people ahead of Ms McCord waiting for a bed when she was admitted.
"She is very uncomfortable. Her face was swollen up around her eyes, she was and is extremely ill" said her brother Garrett yesterday.
By 5 p.m. yesterday the situation had improved. Mr Leo Vella consultant at the accident and emergency department, told The Irish Times yesterday, that although "it was over flowing this morning" it had quietened down since then. There were 18 people waiting for beds at 5 p.m. and only five of these had been there since the day before. None of these was critical he said.
"We are obviously terribly concerned. People shouldn't have to be waiting on trollies for 24 hours." He explained that "the balancing of beds is a tight rope" process.
On average up to 35 people were admitted through the A&E department each day. If this number crept up to 45 each day, the pressure on space became acute. The past few days had seen an exceptionally high level of people - in need of admittance.
Mr Vella said there was a traditional rise in the number of people who need to be admitted to hospital at this time of year. Although flu was a factor in the rise in demand for hospital beds "it is not the sole factor", he said. The influx of patients was from a mixture of complaints, including "the usual variety" of chest, asthma and abdominal problems.
The same problems were being confronted by other hospitals on the north side of the city, he said.
Meanwhile Dr Luke Clancy, consultant respiratory physician at St James's Hospital, Dublin, has advised groups at risk to be vaccinated against the current strain of Chinese flu. Those who have not yet received the vaccination are urged to do so without delay.
Although demand for the flu vaccine has shot up, Dr Clancy says that stocks are still available to stop infection by this year's Wuhan strain.
According to Dr Clancy, most at risk are people in regular contact with the public.