Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Last June I wrote to the Minister's predecessor pointing out that Portiuncula University Hospital, Ballinasloe was in a desperate situation because it has lost 10% of its acute hospital capacity due to Covid-19 configuration. The hospital was very proactive. It put forward two very specific proposals. The first was to develop two separate modular buildings, one for an accident and emergency department that could segregate Covid and non-Covid patients. The second modular building was to take the outpatient department out of the acute hospital and convert the old outpatient department into 13 single rooms. Currently, Portiuncula hospital, which is one of the biggest acute hospitals servicing the midlands, has only 13 single rooms. It is down 10% in terms of its capacity. Last week the daily average of patients on trolleys overnight was 13.

While funding has been forthcoming for the modular building for the outpatient department no refurbishment work has taken place of the old outpatient department and no funding has been provided for the second modular building for the accident and emergency department. As a result of that, the hospital is operating at 10% less capacity today with just 13 single beds. It is not in a position to manage the pandemic and the challenges that currently exist. Will funding be provided to expedite the refurbishment of the old outpatient department? Will funding be provided to ensure that we have a modular building to deal with the chaotic situation we currently have within the emergency department?

See this speech in context