“Immediate action” from both Saolta and the HSE nationally is needed to combat delays and overcrowding at the emergency department at UHG.
This is the view of Galway Fine Gael Senator Seán Kyne who raised the issue in the Seanad this week. He also called for “urgent progress” on the provision of the new emergency department, funding for the design of which had been approved in 2018.
“I am shocked to hear that the new emergency department, which was approved in principle as a project years ago is still at the ‘early design’ stage, despite being told in 2018 that a planning application was imminent then,” he said.
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He said it was “completely unacceptable” that the public in Galway were being told to “stay away from the emergency department” during the pandemic, while at the same time there was “a complete lack of urgency on the emergency department project.”
The new emergency department will cost almost €300 million, when the paediatric and maternity departments are included. However, it is understood that it will not be open until mid-2026 at the earliest.
