A meeting of the Emergency Department Taskforce to discuss the problem of hospital overcrowding is underway.
According to figures compiled by the Irish Nurses and Midwives' Organisation (INMO), over 300 patients are waiting on trolleys at hospitals across the country today.
Earlier this year, the Health Minister Leo Varadkar committed to opening 300 extra hospital beds by the end of the year to ease overcrowding.
He also said he would impose heavy fines on hospitals that failed to meet targets for cutting waiting lists.
Minister of State at the Department of Health, Kathleen Lynch, says the government is committed to addressing the problem.
"Both myself and the minister are hugely concerned about it" she told Newstalk Lunchtime.
"And yes it seems that the numbers are - if they're not climbing, they're staying static - and it is a huge concern, despite the fact that we're having a very mild winter so far ".
"I'm sure that will change, and we need to be very careful" she added.
