The South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) says it has put measures in place to ease the overcrowding at the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

It has been reported that the hospital has seen a sharp increase in the number of parents seeking treatment for their children who have flu-like symptoms.

Parents have complained about long waiting times and that some of them have had to resort to sleeping on the floor because of a lack of beds.

In a release last night, SERHA said the bed capacity at the Bustamante Hospital is currently oversubscribed and patients may experience extended waiting times for admissions.

SERHA says to help ease the situation it has increased the number of workers at the hospital and it is conducting assessments to determine patients who are well enough to be discharged to free up bed spaces.

The authority says it is also encouraging parents whose children have been discharged to ensure that they are picked up in a timely manner.

It is urging the public to visit their nearest health centre for non-urgent illnesses.

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