The number of inpatients admitted to St James's Hospital during the first half of this year fell by 18% from the same period last year, data provided to RTÉ Investigates shows.From the beginning of January to the end of May of this year, there were 7,032 admissions to inpatients at the Dublin hospital, down from 8,551 during the corresponding time last year.
Inpatient is the term used for a patient admitted to hospital who stays overnight.Like many hospitals around the country, St James's had to restrict or reduce many services, in an effort to limit the spread of the virus, which partly explains the drop in admissions.Some patients were reluctant to go to hospital, for fear they could contract Covid-19 there.