Hospitals at crisis level as cuts force 120 beds to close

By Bernie Ní Fhlatharta and Denise McNamara

University Hospital Galway (UHG) and Merlin Park – which are already at breaking point in terms of capacity – are to have a total of 120 beds closed because of a €25m budget deficit.

This week the HSE announced that UHG was closing an entire ward, consisting of 22 beds, and amalgamating the Intensive Care Unit with the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit, resulting in the loss of a further two beds.

The decision by hospital management followed confirmation that both city public hospitals will have a €25m budget deficit this year – last year they overran their budget by €11m.

The budget shortfall has to be made up through cuts, even though the hospital has yet to receive €12m in funding for cancer drugs and 30 extra staff promised as part of its designation as a cancer centre of excellence.

The shortage has already led to a €3m cut to aggressive cancer treatment for end of life patients.

A memo from the Assistant National Director circulated last week outlined a series of initiatives to be undertaken by management to save money.

These included a reduction of overtime, locum cover, weekend payments and other proposed cost reductions in the area of staff training, maintenance and the replacement of existing equipment. St Michael’s Ward, an Ear, Nose, Throat and Ophthalmology ward with 22 beds, is to be closed shortly.These services will be re-designated within the surgical wards.

The ward had to be closed due to “cost containment and the non-replacement of staff”, the HSE said.

This brings the total number of beds to be closed to 120 – up to this latest announcement there were 96, of which 63 are in Merlin Park and 33 in UHG.

Read more in this week's Galway City Tribune