The accident and emergency waiting room of Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, was full at midday yesterday as people hoping to be seen by a doctor or nurse waited their turn.
One man, who did not wish to be named, said he had been told by the hospital he could expect a wait of "up to seven hours" to see a doctor, despite arriving with a referral from his GP.
Ms Marian Cash from Clonshaugh, Dublin, had already been waiting for 3½ hours to see a doctor. "I saw a nurse after about an hour," she said, "but they can't give me any real idea of when I might get to see a doctor. I have a little one coming out of school that I need to collect."
A spokeswoman for the Mater Hospital, Dublin, said the situation had been "extremely bad" this week, although yesterday was not as bad as other days.
A spokesman for St Vincent's Hospital, Dublin, described the scene in its A&E ward as "busy to very busy," a feeling echoed by the spokesman for St James's Hospital, Dublin, who said the hospital had five people waiting for admission to beds.
While James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown, Co Dublin, was busy, its spokesman said it was "coping OK."