41,000 wait for hospital treatment in Galway

The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) figures reveal that more than 41,000 patients are waiting for treatment in GUH, which includes University Hospital Galway and Merlin Park University Hospital.

That represents ten per cent of the total 400,000 outpatients and inpatients waiting for treatment nationally.

“It is worrying . . . Galway is emerging as the poorest overall performer,” said Galway West Fine Gael TD, Hildegarde Naughton.

“Galway has both the highest number waiting for inpatient treatment, at 10,605, and outpatient treatment, with a staggering 30,464 waiting,” she said.

Deputy Naughton said the local waiting list crisis has existed for some time, since GUH was designated as a centre of excellence for several specialities. The hospitals serve the entire west and north west seaboard, she said, and so cannot cope.

The newly elected TD said in order to tackle the problem more consultants are needed – Ireland has fewer consultants than other developed countries. And she said Ireland needs more hospital beds – the number has fallen from 25,000 in 1995 to under 12,700 now.

Locally, she reiterated her solution of moving services from UHG to Merlin Park.

Deputy Naughton pointed out that GUH is presently building an extension and planning for a new Accident and Emergency Department at UHG.

This development, she said, is “on a site that is only 42 acres, landlocked and has severe traffic issues, whereas Merlin Park Hospital is vastly underutilised, sitting on a site of approximately 150 acres and with immediate access to the dual carriageway system.”

Deputy Naughton added: “I am increasingly frustrated with the inability of medical service management in this country to see that the campus in GUH is overcrowded and no longer suitable. It is high time Merlin Park was considered as the site of a new state of the art acute hospital for the West. I intend to make this point forcibly to the incoming Government.”