Doctors working in Emergency Departments (EDs) have expressed concern about the impact the Pope's visit could have on already overcrowded hospitals.

Pope Francis is due to visit Ireland on August 25 and 26. His trip will include a mass at the Pope's Cross in Dublin's Phoenix Park, where an estimated 500,000 people are expected to attend.

According to the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine (IAEM), the public hospital system is already struggling to cope with increasing patient numbers and the this is particularly evident in EDs, with many patients left waiting on trolleys for long periods of time.

However, mass gatherings can result in a higher numbers of people requiring medical care and according to medical literature, Papal masses carry additional specific risks, such as a much higher number of older attendees, many with pre-existing illnesses, a mobile unseated crowd, and exposure to the elements.

"One large review includes figures from nine Papal masses and showed an average of 40 patients needing medical assistance per 10,000 attendances, with five per 10,000 attendances needing transport to a hospital.

"For the expected 500,000 people in the Phoenix Park, this equates to 1,000 - 3,000 requiring medical assistance (mostly first aid on site), but between 250 and 750 needing transport to one of the six Dublin EDs," the IAEM pointed out.

The association said that while ‘some planning' for this event has occurred, ‘it has been too late starting and the necessary extra funding to hospitals is as yet unconfirmed'.

It also warned that ‘assumptions about workload appear to have been unduly conservative'.

"While the volunteer first aid services and the ambulance services will be on site to provide care, these services will not have medical support. An on-site medical facility is planned with the aim of resuscitating and stabilising the most critically ill before transport to an ED, but it is not yet adequately staffed.

"Because of ongoing staff shortages, Dublin EDs are struggling to bring in the extra medical and nursing staff that will be needed to cope with the extra arrivals to the receiving hospitals," the IAEM commented.

It noted that some people may defer attending for care until the Monday or Tuesday after the mass, which will bring risks to the individuals involved and lead to a surge in ED attendances.

The association offers the following advice to anyone attending the mass:
-Prepare for a long day
-Prepare for significant walking
-Don't forget to bring any medication you may need to take during the course of the day
-Bring ID and details of next of kin with you
-Stay hydrated and ensure you have access to food
-Do not attend if you are feeling unwell.

"There is a justified nervousness among those staffing Dublin's EDs about the lack of contingency planning. While no doubt, heroics will be performed by those staff working on the day, the perennial lack of capacity and the lack of timely and comprehensive enough planning is a serious concern. Hopefully, the numbers needing medical assistance will be at the lower end of estimates," the IAEM added.