Galway's public hospitals battle pest problems
Galway City Tribune - A nest of wasps in the roof of a ward for elderly people, cockroaches and rat droppings in kitchens, mice in corridors, ants in a children’s ward and flies in a premature babies’ unit – just some of the problems dealt with by a pest control company at Galway’s two public hospitals.
Pest control reports over two years, released to the Galway City Tribune following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, outline the extent of rodent, pest and creepy-crawly problems at University Hospital Galway and Merlin Park Hospital.
The FOI reveals the city hospitals spent a little over €20,000 to a private pest control company in 2016 and 2017.
During December 2016, rat droppings were found in a staff kitchen at Unit 7 in Merlin Park. A hole in the floor underneath the sink and waste-pipe units was noted during the inspection and the hospital was advised that “proofing work here is essential to exclude pests”.
There was also evidence of cockroach activity in the kitchen, including dead insects in traps and the basement.
There were several call-outs for wasps on the roof of Unit 6 Merlin Park, which is a residential facility for the elderly. During one visit, wasps, hornets and bees were noted and treatment was carried out to the nest entry point. Wasps, hornets or bees were also discovered at Unit 4 of Merlin Park and staff were advised to “keep windows closed for the evening” after the nest was treated by the pest control company.
The pest control company was called-out on a number of occasions to treat ants, including in the kitchenette in the nurses’ building, the finance building, and at Units 5, 6 and the waiting room of Unit 7 at Merlin Park.
Flies were discovered in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after a “window was left open overnight”. A spray treatment couldn’t be carried out because it is a unit for premature babies, but the cleaners were asked to vacuum any dead flies from the unit. This is a preview only. To read the rest of the content of the details released under Freedom of Information, see this week's Galway City Tribune. Buy a digital edition of this week's paper here.