The organisation representing intensive care doctors has claimed tonight that patients are suffering and at risk of dying because of a massive shortage of intensive care beds for adults in the country's hospitals.
Dr Michael Power, of the Intensive Care Society, said that patient care was suffering and the organisation had no doubt that the outcomes for patients were being affected.
He said that the intensive care service problems at St James's Hospital in Dublin were also occurring around the country.
According to the society, the number of adult ICU beds at 195 has hardly changed since 2000.
Based on its calculations, an increase of around 200 adult intensive care beds is needed, along with improved staffing for children's intensive care.
The society claimed that under the Hanly Report, and the Health Service Executive review of hospital services in the North East, ICU beds in local hospitals will be closed and that there are no plans to replace these beds in new regional centres.
The society is to meet with the Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney, on Friday to discuss the issue.
Earlier, the Health Service Executive defended the bed capacity for intensive care at St James's Hospital after it emerged that the hospital had cancelled around 20 surgical operations because there were no beds to place the patients in.
The HSE said intensive care unit bed capacity at the hospital has been increased by over 50% in the past three years, with five new beds available in addition to the existing nine beds.
The executive said it is asking the hospital management to explain why the current difficulties have resurfaced at this time.
Full support to the hospital to fast-track post-acute patients to other facilities to free up ICU beds is being offered, the executive added.
A spokesperson for the hospital has described the situation as unprecedented and 'very serious'.
The hospital has four high dependency beds as well as the 14 ICU beds, but these are all full.
As a result, it has been forced to cancel around 20 urgent surgical operations over the past week.
Because the hospital has reached full capacity, patients who require an intensive care bed are instead being treated in recovery areas and high dependency areas.
The hospital said the patients were being ventilated and are being provided with an ICU-type service, but because recovery areas are being used, this is having a knock-on effect of halting planned surgery.
The cardiac service at the hospital is not affected.
This morning the leader of the Labour Party, Pat Rabbitte, said people up and down the country are very dissatisfied with the health service.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland, Mr Rabbitte said voters were also distressed at the inability of the Government after ten years to deliver a quality service commensurate with the economy which the country is enjoying at the moment.
