Galway Bay fm newsroom – Health Minister Simon Harris is set to visit Univerisity Hospital Galway and Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe next month.
The minister’s visit comes as both hospitals are coming under increasing pressure as a result of overcrowding.
UHG management says the hospital has been at ‘code black’ for several weeks, as staff struggle to deal with large numbers of admissions.
Nurses and clinicians at the facility are concerned that the safety of both staff and patients is at risk as a result.
Today, Portiuncula Hospital implemented its Full Capacity Protocol, due to continued pressure on its emergency department.
Last evening, the CEO and clinical director of the Saolta Hospitals group told an Oireachtas committee on the future of healthcare that Galway needs a new hospital.
They told the meeting that UHG, as a centre of excellence, is catering to patients from across six counties – and the hospital is not fit for purpose.
Health Minister Simon Harris is likely to face questions on the future of Galway’s hospitals when he visits UHG and Portiuncula Hospital the week before Christmas.