Hospitals in Dublin have been advised to discharge patients in order to free up beds ahead of the pope’s visit to Ireland this weekend amid warnings that up to 750 people may require treatment in emergency departments.

Authorities in the Irish capital have put in place plans to deal with hundreds of thousands of people expected to attend key events or line the streets in the hope of glimpsing Pope Francis. About 1,500 gardaí and more than 1,000 medical aid-givers will be on duty in Dublin.



Irish police have issued a list of items banned from the papal mass in Phoenix Park, including selfie sticks, alcohol, banners, placards and flags, folding chairs, drones, glass bottles, large prams and umbrellas, and animals (apart from registered guide dogs).



The pope arrives for a 36-hour visit on Saturday morning, and will return to Rome on Sunday evening. As well as events in Dublin, he will visit the Marian shrine in Knock in the west of Ireland.



During the last papal visit, by John Paul II in 1979, about 2.7 million people attended events and lined the streets. Numbers are expected to be significantly lower for this visit, partly because all events are strictly ticketed and partly reflecting the decline in the Roman Catholic church’s influence and moral authority.



The health service executive has urged hospitals to be ready to admit people in need of treatment during the papal visit.



“The main Dublin hospitals in the period prior to such a large crowd event would be seeking to actively discharge patients as appropriate to ensure that the hospitals are in a position to address capacity issues and receive admissions as may arise,” a spokeswoman said.



“This applies to all hospitals in Dublin. We would stress that this would be carried out on a planned basis with discharge occurring as deemed medically appropriate for the individuals concerned.”



She added: “Additional ambulances will be available at strategic locations, foot patrols and bicycle units will be on duty allowing a rapid response along the pedestrian routes leading to the main venue, and an on-site medical assessment centre, staffed by experienced emergency department staff and linked to the main Dublin hospital emergency departments, will be provided to cater for patrons’ needs at venue.”



But the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine (IAEM) warned that resources and planning were inadequate. It said there were known risks associated with papal masses, including a disproportionate number of older people attending, many with pre-existing medical conditions; a mobile, unseated crowd; prolonged length of time at venues; and exposure to the elements.



Based on past papal masses, and the 500,000 tickets issued for Phoenix Park where Francis will celebrate an open-air mass this weekend, the IAEM estimated that up to 3,000 people would need medical assistance on-site and up to 750 may need treatment in one of Dublin’s six emergency departments.



In a statement on Monday, the IAEM said: “Some planning has occurred, but it has been too late starting and the necessary extra funding to hospitals is as yet unconfirmed … Because of ongoing staff shortages, Dublin emergency departments 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.”



St James’s hospital, located close to Phoenix Park, said its “internal preparedness group” was monitoring the hospital’s capacity in the run-up to the visit and in response to demand over the weekend.



The gardaí have warned the public of significant road closures around the park from 6am until midnight on Sunday and said that people may have to walk long distances on foot. Public transport in the city will be free all day on Sunday.



Pope Francis and his entourage are expected to travel around Dublin in a fleet of Skoda cars, although his open-sided popemobile is expected to be used at the Knock shrine and major events in the capital.

