The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is appealing to the public to “give some of their lunch break” and join a Dáil protest over hospital overcrowding on Wednesday.

In a statement the INMO is calling on patient groups and members of the public to join the protest at the Kildare St. entrance to the Dail to show their “disgust at the chronic overcrowding” in Emergency Departments across the country.

Speaking today following an Executive Council meeting at the INMO, Deputy General Secretary, Dave Hughes said:

“We are hoping that members of the public, patient groups and workers in the city centre will give up some of their lunch break on Wednesday to show their disgust at chronic overcrowding in A&E departments which last week reached a record high of 601”.

“Chronic overcrowding of A&E departments is now an annual event which means hundreds of patients daily are deprived of basic dignity and exposed to even greater health risks simply because successive Irish governments have failed to adequately fund the health service.

The action - which has the support of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, SIPTU, and a number of other trade unions - will take place from noon this Wednesday.