Overcrowding at accident and emergency departments in Drogheda and Cavan has reached "unprecedented" levels, a nursing body has claimed.
The Irish Nurses' Organisation said 50 patients are being treated on trolleys and that patients at Cavan General Hospital and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital are enduring "extreme hardship and inhumane conditions".
"The situation has been exacerbated by the closure of surgical beds at Monaghan General Hospital this week, resulting in all surgical patients from the Monaghan catchment area being transferred and cared for at Cavan General Hospital," an INO statement said.
It said its members had advised local management of their grave concerns about health and safety and clinical risks associated with caring for patients in the inadquate environment.
The INO called for the cancellation of all elective admissions and day procedures as well as the utilisation of the surgical ward and theatres at Monaghan General Hospital.