Free Republic

A top Alabama health official this week announced that the state has more intensive care patients than ICU beds to care for them. Alabama Hospital Association President Don Williamson told an NBC News affiliate station in Montgomery on Tuesday that the state hospital system is facing a “negative” number of available ICU beds. “We’ve never been here before. We are in truly now in uncharted territory in terms of our ICU bed capacity,” Williamson said.

WASHINGTON – Rep. John Murtha has been hospitalized in intensive care stemming from complications related to gallbladder surgery. Spokesman Matt Mazonkey says the 77-year-old Pennsylvania congressman underwent scheduled surgery last week and is currently at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington. Murtha was also hospitalized in December with gallbladder problems. The 19-term Democrat was the first Vietnam veteran to serve in Congress. He leads the powerful House Appropriations subcommittee on defense spending.

The Conservative party says hospitals are at breaking point and claims that a second wave of swine flu could result in a bed shortage The NHS may not have enough intensive care beds to cope if a second wave of swine flu hits the country, the Conservative party claimed today. Hospitals are already at "breaking point" and are having to close critical care beds to new admissions for large parts of the year, according to the shadow health secretary, Andrew Lansley. The allegation comes amid intensifying party exchanges over the future of the NHS. The Tories are attempting the novel...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2006 -- An intensive search continues for Spc. Kousay Altaie, a 41-year-old U.S. Army Reserve soldier kidnapped Oct. 23 outside Baghdad’s International Zone, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq told reporters during a Baghdad briefing today. Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell confirmed Altaie’s identity for the first time today and said credible intelligence indicates who might be holding him. “At this time, we believe the ones who kidnapped (the soldier) still have him,” Caldwell told reporters. “And we are vigorously pursuing every lead.” Caldwell described the massive search under way and vowed that no stone will be left...