The Irish Medical Organisation has called for greater provision of services for the elderly to allow them to remain living at home when in need of care.
In its pre-Budget submission, it said the number of beds available for the elderly has declined dramatically and the impact of this was a significant contributor to the demands on accident and emergency services.
IMO chief executive George McNeice said the problem was the number of beds provided has failed to keep pace with population growth in large cities.
"The IMO believes that elderly citizens value their independence and prefer to remain in their homes within the community," he said.
The IMO wants hospital beds for the elderly - for acute, rehabilitative and long term care - be immediately increased coupled with an accelerated building programme of public nursing home beds.
Services must be delivered in partnership with the elderly, their families and carers as well as a range of statutory and non-statutory voluntary and community groups, he said.
Mr McNeice identified a number of proposals which would improve the overall quality and efficiency of the of the health service.
"Ring-fenced funding and multi annual budgets for health services, an integrated capital and current expenditure structure and the adoption of the OECD System of Health Accounts, published annually" were all required he said.
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