Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has called on the HSE to deploy “all resources available” to tackle a wave of respiratory viruses.
He said emergency measures including extra overtime and the use of private hospitals for any overflow will be used. Flu and RSV cases have rocketed this month while Covid cases are up 75% prompting HSE fears the country’s hospitals will not cope.
Mr Varadkar said: “I want all resources available to be deployed immediately and over the winter period, and that includes private hospitals, use of overtime. We’ve never had more doctors, nurses, midwives working in our health service, we’ve never had a bigger budget.”
