Second 24-hour nurses' strike at Naas Hospital and nationwide

At least 50,000 patients have had medical appointments for today cancelled due to the nurses' strike which resumed at 8am.

That is up from 25,000 on the first strike day last Wednesday, RTE reports.

The 24-hour stoppage by 37,000 members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation will see pickets at 240 locations - a trebling up of the 82 facilities affected during the first strike.

The number of health units affected has risen because the INMO is granting fewer exemptions. It now includes respite centres for the elderly and people with disabilities.

All outpatient, inpatient and day surgery appointments today are cancelled and injury units will also be closed.

Emergency Departments will be open but with reduced nursing staff cover - so the Health Service Executive has asked that people only attend them if absolutely essential.

Thousands more patients will be affected if the next six days of planned industrial action proceed.

The Psychiatric Nurses Association will also be staging an overtime ban in mental health facilities over the next three days.