The first four months of this year saw the worst over-crowding in hospitals serving Tipperary since records began.
Figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation show nearly 2,000 people were left without a bed at South Tipp General between January and April.
This is nearly 300 more than the same period in 2016.
At University Hospital Limerick, which serves North Tipp, over 2,800 patients were left in a similar situation.
That’s up nearly 200 on the first third of last year.
INMO General Secretary Liam Doran has told Tipp Today that Emergency Department staff simply cannot cope with those numbers.
