About 49,000 accident and emergency visits saw patients wait 24 hours or more for a hospital bed in England last year, highlighting the increasing strain on the National Health Service (NHS).
Data compiled by the Liberal Democrats through freedom of information requests revealed that there were 48,830 "trolley waits" lasting 24 hours or longer in 2024, marking a 19.8 percent increase from 2023 with 40,735 cases, and a 57.9 percent rise from 2022 with 30,921 cases.
The issue, reported by British media on Monday, underscores growing delays within the country's healthcare system.
"Trolley waits" occur when patients are forced to wait for an admission decision due to a lack of available beds in accident and emergency visits.
One of the most alarming findings was that the longest recorded trolley wait last year was 235 hours -- equivalent to 10 and a half days -- before a patient was admitted.
People aged 65 or over make up nearly 70 percent of those waiting more than 24 hours. This surge in long waits has raised alarm about the impact on vulnerable populations, especially as demand for urgent care continues to rise.
The Liberal Democrats have sharply criticized the British government's handling of emergency healthcare, calling the situation "heartbreaking."
The party has called for the establishment of a task force to address winter healthcare pressures and for experienced leaders to restructure underperforming hospital trusts, so as to improve services and reduce waiting times.
However, only 54 of the 141 NHS trusts contacted provided complete data, suggesting the actual number of patients facing long waits may be even higher.
49,000 patients wait more than 24 hours for hospital bed in England
49,000 patients wait more than 24 hours for hospital bed in England
49,000 patients wait more than 24 hours for hospital bed in England
U.S. tariffs on Cambodia, which were set at 49 percent, have sparked concerns among the Southeast Asian country's key export industries such as garment manufacturing amid the ensuing economic uncertainties.
On April 2, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the 49 percent "reciprocal tariff" on goods imported from Cambodia, the highest among all countries. Days later, the U.S. reduced the so-called "reciprocal tariff" to 10 percent for 90 days, offering a window period to Cambodia for negotiations with it.
Cambodian businesspeople say the tariffs have the potential to wreak havoc on the country's manufacturing sector, which, according to data from the World Bank, makes up around a fifth of the country's GDP.
"For U.S. manufacturers, definitely, there will be a big impact. If manufacturers are focusing on U.S. products, they are now in the middle. They don't know what they should do at the moment because the tariff now from Cambodia to the U.S. is actually quite high," said Dr. Ben Li, a Hong Kong investor in Cambodia and Chairman of the Cambodia Chinese Commerce Association.
Nevertheless, Li sees the tariff hike as an opportunity to export more Cambodian goods to the European Union, where a majority of Cambodian exports enjoy duty-free status.
"I always say there will be a light (at the end of the tunnel.) Even now, the U.S. tariff is so high, it's going to be so high after 90 days, we don't know. But, there's still a big market to Japan or to the European Union. There's still a big opportunity there," he said.
The Cambodian investor also believes the development of major infrastructure projects will help support Cambodia's economy.
"Especially the new canal and then the new airport, and the railways which connect to China. I believe once the logistics and infrastructure are built up, it can help the whole country's economy. By reducing the transportation costs, it can also mitigate the tariff costs," he said.
Cambodia and the U.S. held their first tariff negotiations on April 16, with more expected to follow. Local experts said the stakes are high for the country's workers.
"If this negotiation fails, there will be a significant impact. It will include the garment and travel goods sector. These sectors consist of about 1,068 factories and 930,000 workers. The income generated from these sectors is about 3 billion dollars per year. So it would significantly impact Cambodia's economy, jobs and incomes," said Chey Tech, a socio-economic research and development consultant from Dynamic Alliance Consulting.
Despite the potential risks, Tech expressed his optimism about a positive outcome, citing Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manat's letter to Trump on April 4.
"The Prime Minister's letter confirmed that Cambodia would reduce the tariff rate for U.S. goods to 5 percent. Second, Cambodia is the least developed country. Third, Cambodia produces goods that the developed countries won't produce. We asked whether the U.S. would be able to produce these low-cost products. It cannot," said Tech.
In 2024, Cambodia exported goods of 9.9 billion dollars to the U.S., making it the country's largest market, accounting for 37 percent of Cambodia's total exports.
49-percent US tariffs sparks worry among Cambodia's key export industries
