A newly-formed patients group is planning further protests unless the Government acts quickly to alleviate pressure on accident and emergency units.
The Patients Together group, formed by patients' relatives and health professionals who are angry over the crisis in A&E units, wants hundreds of hospital beds to be brought back into use.
About 15 members of the group assembled in Dublin's Mansion House yesterday, although the group said it had gathered the names and addresses of hundreds of people who want to join the campaign.
It is seeking a meeting with the Minister for Health, Ms Harney, to express concern over the hardships being experienced by patients and their families.
The founding member of the group, Ms Ellen Cogavin, is a clinical nurse manager in Dublin's James Connolly Memorial Hospital.
"People are appalled at the conditions in A&E units. Opening nursing homes for patients is not a long-term solution," she said. "We need the 400 beds closed by the Government to be reopened, but that's just the start."
Ms Cogavin was an unsuccessful Fine Gael candidate in this year's local elections in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath. However, she told The Irish Times that the group was not linked in any way to the party.
"I've no problem admitting that I ran for the party, but this isn't a political outing. I haven't had any contact with the party. I presume they didn't even know about this group until today."
SIPTU and the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) have also voiced their support for the new group.
A spokesman for Ms Harney, however, queried whether hundreds of beds had been put out of use and said there had been an increase of 583 in the total number of beds between the end of 2001 and July 2004.
The number of patients on trolleys in hospitals around the State, meanwhile, fell yesterday to 105, down from more than 230 during the week, according to the INO.
Health professionals, however, have expressed concern that this figure will rise again over the bank holiday weekend.
Relatives of patients who spent long periods of time waiting in A&E for a hospital bed also gathered at yesterday's meeting to express anger at the state of the health service.
Mr Denis Rudd from Firhouse, Dublin, said his 89-year-old father, Peter, died in hospital last April after waiting 2½ days for a hospital bed.
"The casualty unit was like Beirut, there were drunks and drug addicts wandering around and people opening the curtain where my father was," he said.
"When he was admitted to the cardiac unit, it was still under construction. Every time a hammer hit a nail, he flinched. Every time a drill went off, he flinched.
"I work in construction," Mr Rudd added, "and we wouldn't even be allowed to work in an office with people in it."
Ms Janette Byrne, whose 72-year-old mother was forced to stay on a hospital trolley for several days in the Mater hospital this week, said it was time that the voices of patients and their relatives were heard in the healthcare debate.
"We're a group of ordinary people who pay taxes. We want to be treated in a hospital bed, that's all.
"I'm is remission from cancer and I don't want to have to go through that," she said.
