Fianna Fáil TD for Galway West, Éamon Ó Cuív, has slammed the HSE and the Minister for Health for the inordinate delay in providing full orthopaedic services in Merlin Park, Co. Galway where two operating theatres have been out of action.
“It is disgraceful that full Orthopaedic services cannot be provided at Merlin Park as two operating theatres have been out of action,” he said last evening.
“The HSE informed me that having failed with the original provider for the leased solution in March 2019, that they have now proceeded down the road of a Traditional Rapid Build option.
“I understand a Capital submission was submitted to the National Capital & Property Steering Committee for funding to proceed with the rapid build option in early June.
“They have also informed me that they have commenced the procurement of the remainder of the design team by an open tender procedure to expedite the process of selection. The closing date for the receipt of these tenders for the design team is August 7th.
“Following this convoluted process it would appear now that the earliest that a contractor can expect to be in place is the first quarter of 2020. It would therefore seem that another two years are going to be lost before these theatres are opened again, and it seems incredible that a leaking roof could cause such havoc in the terms of the provision of basic services.
“It is time that procedures were examined to see how emergency situations like this can be rectified without the inordinate delay and tendering and re-tendering that seems to be endemic in the system.
“I am now call on the Minister for Health, the Minister for Finance and the HSE to get together to see how this matter might be expedited in order to provide a very basic service for the people of Galway,” concluded Deputy Ó Cuív.
