"UHG has consistently been the most and second most overcrowded hospital in the State in recent weeks, and this is with non-Covid related admissions. We need to break this cycle of overcrowding crisis at UHG.”
This is the view of Sinn Féin Galway West TD, Mairéad Farrell [pictured below], who was speaking following the announcements regarding health and health spending in Budget 2022.
She also pointed out that the Seanad heard that “no date is in sight” for when a planning application might be lodged for the new emergency department at the hospital.
Round table meetings
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As a further response to the Budget, Sinn Féin health spokesperson, David Cullinane TD, will visit Galway tomorrow, Friday October 15. He will meet with the deputy manager and the head of nursing at UHG to discuss current conditions at the hospital, and host a round table meeting with unions representing healthcare workers - SIPTU, Fórsa, INMO and Connect.
"David Cullinane and I want to speak directly with those on the front line of health service provision in Galway,” she said. “As we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, our Government needs to show the healthcare workers in this country the respect and appreciation that they have no doubt earned over the last year and half."
Mental health services
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Tomorrow afternoon, Dep Farrell will launch her document on Mental Health services for Galway in the Harbour Hotel. Local mental health service providers and advocates have been invited to attend.
“One place where the Budget lacks significantly is in the area of mental health services,” she said. “Sinn Féin’s proposals, totalling €113 million, would have helped expand CAMHS, primary mental health care, and universal counselling. This is compared to the government’s woefully inadequate €24 million.”
