Figures released today show that there are over 3,600 people waiting over a year for surgery at Galway University Hospital which is by far the largest figure in the country and this completely unacceptable situation must be tacked immediately. When you consider that this figure for Galway is twice the figure for The Mater Hospital in Dublin (1,657) which has a catchment area of over one million people, you get an idea of the scale of the problem here in the West.
The key fa…ctor is a lack of beds due to overcrowding at A and E and Minister Harris must address this situation in Galway immediately as it has gone on far too long .We have had 20 million Euro set aside for the National Treatment Purchase Fund in the recent budget and there are private hospitals here, in the north and in the UK who can carry out many of these proceedures and clear these long waiting lists. I will be raising this matter with Minister Harris at the earliest opportunity