Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Earlier the Taoiseach took exception to somebody quoting their gospel. Let me quote the gospel of HIQA and a report that was issued today about University Hospital Galway. It states that: "the risk of compromised quality and safety of patient care due to insufficient capacity to manage demand in the emergency department [is] one of the highest rated risks on the hospital's corporate risk register." The accident and emergency department, which is a new temporary one, is simply not functioning properly. This report follows on from a report in February 2023 that I raised in the Dáil which highlighted that the accident and emergency department was grossly overcrowded. The figure at that stage was 28 people. On this day, 29 people had been admitted but there were no beds. The three wards examined by HIQA were all full to capacity. One of those wards, St. Finbar's, was lacking five full-time staff. The figure today for the emergency department is 57. Words fail me regarding HIQA saying it is grossly overcrowded at 29 or 30 when this is where we are now. Perhaps the Taoiseach could quote from the gospel of providing public health to people in need as they require.

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