Latest stats show University College Galway overcrowding hit 1,000 in April
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OVERCROWDING at University Hospital Galway rose sharply in April – with 1,003 patients waiting for beds during the month, according to INMO Trolley Watch figures.
It is also up from last month, when 862 patients were recorded waiting to be admitted - with patients placed on trolleys or in temporary ward spaces.
Nationally, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said April 2026 was the worst April on record for hospital overcrowding, with 11,175 patients in hospitals waiting for beds across the country.
However, Trolley Watch figures for University Hospital Galway show that local overcrowding did not reach previous levels, with 1,003 patients waiting for beds in April 2026, compared to 1,208 in April 2024.
The figures have placed renewed focus on UHG, prompting calls to accelerate long-planned developments at the hospital.
At a recent meeting of Galway County Council, elected representatives agreed to call on the government to designate the hospital as critical infrastructure under the Critical Infrastructure Bill, following a proposal from Cllr Noel Thomas (Ind Ire).
Cllr Thomas said that Galway “is like the stone age” compared to Dublin and that he wanted to “get it on the radar.”
People in Galway cannot wait until 2045 for a hospital system that works. The plans are there. The need is obvious. What is missing is Government urgency
“The scaffolding is there to protect people from the slates falling off the roof of the building - that's how bad things are,” he said.
“People in Galway cannot wait until 2045 for a hospital system that works. The plans are there. The need is obvious. What is missing is Government urgency.”
The hospital’s Development Control Plan includes proposals for 300 additional inpatient beds, a new Emergency Department, expanded critical care capacity, surgical theatres, a cancer centre, maternity and children’s services, and a permanent helipad.
Cllr Thomas said the delivery timeline - up to 2045 - underlined the need for urgent action.
He added that UHG is “already critical infrastructure in every practical sense” as the main acute hospital serving Galway and the wider west and north-west.
Recent months, he said, have highlighted ongoing hospital pressures, including postponed elective procedures, the use of surge areas, and long waits for admission from the Emergency Department.
A regional campaign has also pointed to the absence of an on-site PET scanner at UHG, despite its role as a primary acute hospital for the West and North-West.
“We are asking Minister Jack Chambers to make UHG a priority under the Critical Infrastructure Bill,” continued Cllr Thomas, a candidate in the upcoming bye-election.
"That means putting it at the top of the queue across public bodies, cutting avoidable delays, and ensuring the West gets the hospital infrastructure it has needed for years.”
At the same Council meeting, Cllr Peter Feeney (FG) expressed concern about the proposal. He outlined that “the last thing we need is more reviews, what we need are more beds”.
He queried the implication of the hospital receiving Critical Infrastructure status and questioned whether it “might throw a spanner in the works”.
Fianna Fáil Cllr and bye-election candidate Cillian Keane asked why UHG should be put on the list before the Critical Infrastructure Bill has passed and sought more detail on the matter.
Backing the motion, Cllr Seamus Walsh (Ind Ire) said “we are flagging a serious situation and letting them know we are behind the hospital. We have the power to represent our county and raise the issue”.
Overall, elected representatives supported their motion calling on the government to designate the hospital as critical infrastructure under the proposed Critical Infrastructure Bill.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.