London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 01, 2025

Coronavirus: NI asks for more assistance from military medics

Coronavirus: NI asks for more assistance from military medics

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is considering a request to send up to 100 armed services medics to Northern Ireland to help deal with the pandemic.

They could be deployed between Belfast City Hospital and the Ulster Hospital during the month of October.

It is understood a decision will be made next week.

The request from the Department of Health has been made under an arrangement known as MACA (Military Aid to Civilian Authorities).

Health Minister Robin Swann said the health service was "under pressure as never before".

He said he was "determined to activate any measure that can alleviate the situation in any way".

"The current situation is different to the pressures in the earlier stages of the pandemic," he said.

"We have the ongoing and serious Covid threat combined with a growing pressure cooker environment right across health and social care.

"Staff are exhausted, having been facing the pandemic and its repercussions day in, day out, month in, month out, for the best part of two years."

Mr Swann said the "system simply doesn't have the capacity to deal with the levels of need and demand coming in".

Military personnel have been used in earlier stages of Northern Ireland's response to the health emergency.

In total, more than 500 armed forces staff - Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force (RAF) - have been deployed in Northern Ireland over the past year.

One request involved 100 medics being sent to the mass vaccination centre at the SSE Arena in Belfast.

Their duties ended in May.

For two months at the beginning of 2021, armed forces personnel also worked alongside nurses at three local hospitals - the Ulster, City and Antrim Area.

Cancellations


The request from the Department of Health comes as it is revealed that 370 red flag cancer operations have been cancelled across Northern Ireland in the past four weeks.

The figures provided by the Health and Social Care Board reveal that a total 1,300 operations were cancelled.

During the same time, almost 20,000 procedures went ahead.

Mr Swann told BBC News NI that "with regards to red flag cancellations, those are being rescheduled as quickly as we can".

He added: "One of steps we've taken with regards to those surgeries is actually looking at them as a regional approach, rather than just trust by trust basis, so we're looking at a regional management system where we can get those surgeries rescheduled as quickly as possible and where there are theatres open and available to do them."

Robin Swann said Northern Ireland is "paying the price of 10 years of underinvestment in our health service"

On the prospect of lifting Covid-19 restrictions, Mr Swann said that he does not expect huge changes in the short term.

First Minister Paul Givan has repeatedly said he wants to see all restrictions lifted by the end of the month.

"I don't think it's where we'll be at this point in time because of the numbers that we're seeing," he said.

"In regards to the restrictions that we actually have in place, in regards to face coverings, social distancing in place, we are seeing the benefit of those, we've always seen the benefit of those and I've actually seen elsewhere talking now about actually having to reintroduce those rather than do away with them."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
×