Discussions are taking place between hospital unions nationally about extending the working hours of University Hospital Galway’s MRI scanner.
A meeting of the HSE’s Regional Health Forum West was told recently that the implementation of the extended seven day 8am to 8pm rostered working day remains outstanding until the completion of these negotiations.
The reply was in response to a question from Ballinasloe county councillor and health forum chairman Tomas Mannion.
He highlighted the fact that there was a 12 month waiting list for the scanner and that the machine only worked from 9am to 5pm. He asked what discussions or action had been taken to resolve this issue with a view to extending its operating hours.
He stated the Treatment Purchase Fund [a Government scheme designed to cut public hospital waiting lists by buying treatment for patients in private hospitals] should be looked upon as a short term resolution to the problem.
However, he said it would appear to be a “total waste of money” to be paying for private facilities while UHG’s equipment lay idle.
