Almost 5,000 people have died in the country's emergency departments over the last five years.

A new report from the Irish Medical Times found over 1000 of those deaths happened in last year alone - 200 more than in 2019.

Cork University Hospital saw the highest number of fatalities in its emergency department, with 158 people passing away there - up 49 on five years ago.

Author of the report Michael McHale said numbers are increasing across the board. 

“The number of people who have been dying in EDs across the country has been rising,” he said. 

“In fact in 17 of the country’s 26 EDs, they’ve seen rising rates in 2023 in comparison with 2019.”

An ambulance outside a hospital. Photograph: RollingNews.ie

However, Mr McHale said there is also a certain amount of regional variation. 

“Some hospitals in particular, the number of deaths have risen starkly,” he said. 

“So in three hospitals - Beaumont Hospital, University Hospital Galway and Sligo University Hospital - they saw the number of deaths more than double in 2023 in comparison to 2019. 

“So, it is an issue that is affecting some hospitals more than others.” 

Between 2019 and 2024, the number of people presenting at emergency departments increased by 110,000.

Main image: An Ambulance in Dublin. Photo: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie