All scheduled activity across hospitals in the UL Hospital Group has been deferred as it deals with huge overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick.
Anyone heading to the Emergency Department has also been warned of expected significant delays.
In a statement last night, the group said UHL is at its "highest state of escalation" with 143 people waiting on trolleys there on Monday morning.
Activity in UHL, Ennis General Hospital, Nenagh Hospital, the University Maternity Hospital Limerick, St John’s Limerick and Croom Orthopaedic Hospital will remain under review with only urgent and time-critical treatments being offered at these sites.
The Emergency Department at UHL remains open but patients are warned to expect a significant wait if they are planning to attend.
Record patient overcrowding on UHL’s corridors and wards occurred on February 7 last, when 150 patients languished on trolleys there.
There are also currently three known live investigations into the deaths of three patients at UHL in recent times and the chief executive of the Group, Colette Cowan, has been on leave since last month.
Reporting by Aidan Delaney
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