The UL Hospitals Group has less than half the number of available inpatient beds of any other hospital group in the country.
New figures released to Clare Independent TD Michael McNamara show there were 830 beds in the region between January and July of 2022.
While much of the discussion around healthcare demands in the Midwest is around bed capacity, the number of average inpatient beds available within the UL Hospitals Group actually fell between 2021 and 2022.
The number stood at 840 last year and fell to 830 on average between January and July of this year.
It’s the only hospital group that saw a fall in that timeframe, with all others seeing an increase.
Each of the five other groups nationwide have at least double the capacity of this region, with the Saolta group at 1,800, RCSI at over 1,900, and the other three groups around or well over the 2,000 mark.
There are 515 available inpatient beds on average at University Hospital Limerick, with a further 50 considered available in Ennis.
The figures come as construction on a new 96-bed block in Dooradoyle, half of which will be new beds, got underway earlier this month.
