A strike by junior doctors has begun - the first of it's kind in 25 years.
Non consultant hospital doctors say they have been forced to take the action - because of their dangerous working hours.
15,000 patients have been effected by today's strike, which sees 3,000 junior doctors withdrawing their services today at 51 hospitals around the country.
The row with the HSE over working hours has rumbled on for years - but this strike is a dramatic escalation as it's the first of it's kind in a quarter of a century.
Junior doctors on the picket line this morning say the 24 hour shifts they are working put patients safety at risk.
The HSE has urged the IMO - which represents the doctors - back to the talks table.
But the IMO has refused until there is a realistic proposal on sanctions for hospitals in breach of the EU working time directive.
