A new report has found that it's not uncommon to find patients in Irish hospitals waiting between 80 and 90 hours for a bed.
The Health Information and Quality Authority found that in one case, a patient was waiting over 116 hours, or nearly 5 days, or a bed.
HIQA inspected seven emergency departments, and found that the Irish health system is under "unprecedented strain."
Seán Egan, Director of Healthcare Regulation with HIQA, says overcrowding is a serious issue:
"In many cases, the emergency departments are grossly overcrowded. There was a fundamental mismatch between the demands that was being placed on services in terms of presentation and the capacity to provide that service. And I think one of the key findings from our report is that there is a need to address capacity deficits within the health system, not just in emergency departments, but also in acute and community settings, including general practice."
