University Hospital Galway has announced the closure of a 22-bed ward due to a shortage of staff and funds.
In a statement yesterday, the HSE confirmed that the hospital’s management team had no alternative but to close St Michael’s ward due to “cost containment and the non-replacement of staff”.
St Michael's Ward is primarily an ear, nose, throat, and ophthalmology ward with 22 beds. It is proposed to re-designate these services within the surgical wards.
The hospital’s team has also proposed to combine the cardiothoracic intensive care unit and the intensive care unit. The statement claimed the association of cardiothoracic ICU and ICU will result in better use of resources and will have minimal impact on bed usage in these units.
