Galway Bay fm newsroom – The Health Minister has cancelled a visit to University Hospital Galway planned for tomorrow.
Simon Harris was due to attend the facility to make an official announcement on plans for a new emergency department.
It was widely expected that Simon Harris would face tough questions at UHG tomorrow following an extremely challenging week at the hospital.
A record breaking 71 patients were waiting for admission on trolleys or in over-capacity wards this week, as the hospital faces a third month of a near-constant ‘code black’ situation.
The INMO says current conditions at UHG are ‘horrendous’ and represent a serious risk to patient and staff safety – and it’s warning that industrial action is looking ‘increasingly likely’.
The Health Minister was expected to officially announce plans for a long awaited new emergency department when he visited the hospital tomorrow afternoon.
However, that trip has now been postponed until the new year – and Minister Harris has instead indicated that he will visit UHG in ‘very early’ January.
The cancellation will come as a disappointment to many, who were hopeful that Simon Harris would officially get the ball rolling on a badly-needed new emergency department before year’s end.