Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

A few weeks ago when headlines were dominated by queues and chaos at Dublin Airport, there were 35 people on trolleys and chairs in the emergency department of University Hospital Galway, a scene which was most likely replicated in other hospitals throughout the country. This did not feature in the media at all. We are now experiencing a summer Covid wave with cases in hospital rising significantly in the last week and expected to rise further in the next few weeks. The Chief Medical Officer has stated that hospitals are under increased pressure and the only certainty is that we will need to live with this virus for a long time with surges in hospitals at certain times of the year. The problems with overcrowding and the lack of capacity in University Hospital Galway will only get worse as the year progresses. I ask the Minister to outline what is being done to improve capacity and reduce overcrowding in emergency departments throughout the country in the short and medium term.

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