A new report suggests 40% more inpatient beds will be needed as the population gets older.
The ESRI is warning the Government to prepare hospitals for an upsurge in population growth by 2040.
The population is projected to increase by around a million people by then, which will put more pressure on the health system.
A new report from the institute suggests 40% more inpatient and 37% more day patient beds will be needed as the population gets older and larger.
Over the course of this month, up to yesterday, 74 people were left waiting for a bed in Midlands Regional Hospital, with 58 in Portlaoise, while in Limerick 1,748 people were waiting on trolleys.
Senior Research Officer at the ESRI, Aoife Brick says there are policies which can be put in place to get ready:
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