Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I previously requested a debate on issues surrounding health and, in particular, matters of the capital programme for health. We had a very positive meeting yesterday evening with Galway Oireachtas Members, across all parties, and the clinical team within the Saolta hospital group on plans and their wishes for the Galway region regarding capital healthcare.

There has been much debate over a long number of years on the best options for Galway. There is somewhat of a turf war going on between a Galway University Hospital ground site and Merlin Park. Indeed, an options appraisal was published a number of years ago to arrive at the best plan and at that stage it was recommended a new hospital would be build at Merlin Park. In 2021, in light of Covid-19 and the size of the investment required according to the Saolta University Health Care Group for a full new acute hospital at Merlin Park, and the fact that some progress had been made in developing a new combined emergency department, children's and women's building at University Hospital Galway, KPMG was requested to revisit the feasibility of this preferred option. The outcome was a new preferred option which was to develop a model 4 hospital on the grounds of the University Hospital Galway - which I have advocated for a long number of years - with an elective hospital at the Merlin Park site.

We had a very positive meeting yesterday evening and for the first time now there is a clear vision of what the Saolta University Health Care Group actually wants in Galway. It is something all politicians of all parties need to get behind, put their shoulders to the wheel and deliver these extremely important projects.

There are four main projects which the Saolta University Health Care Group wants and needs and that the region deserves. These are: the emergency department, women's and children's block for which the strategic assessment report has been submitted and the preliminary business case will now be progressed; the replacement laboratory building whose initial facilities date back to the 1950s; a cancer centre and new ward block, including a 222 additional inpatient beds required for Galway; and finally, the elective hospital in Merlin Park and day-procedures taking place there.

All these are very important projects costing over €100 million and, therefore, have to go through the public spending code under the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. We need to get an all-party purpose and yesterday's meeting showed that there is now a clear vision, for the first time in decades in Galway, as to what is needed. I look forward to the possibility of a debate with the Minister regarding capital plans for Galway and across the country. There will be sufficient interest, whether in Limerick or elsewhere, regarding what needs to be done and progressed regarding healthcare in Galway.