Elective surgeries at University Hospital Kerry have been cancelled until next week.
This is due to exceptionally high numbers of people attending the Emergency Department in recent days and weeks, resulting in the hospital being under huge pressure.
It was announced on Thursday that elective surgeries at UHK, with the exception of time critical cancer operations, would be postponed until today (Saturday) at the earliest.
This is because numbers attending the Emergency Department are up 20 to 40%, with management saying the hospital has never been under so much pressure.
Management at UHK have now made a further decision to extend the postponement of elective surgery up until and including Monday.
They apologise for the inconvenience and distress this may cause, but note the decision was only taken after all alternative options were exhausted.
The management say the situation will continue to be monitored and reviewed on a daily basis, and all effected patients will be contacted directly.
The Emergency Department remains open 24/7, but management ask people to only attend in the case of a genuine emergency.
They’re advising that, where possible, a GP or Southdoc out-of-hours service be consulted in the first instance.
