Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister for Health on this important issue for the people of the mid-west region. He recognises that there are significant pressures at UHL. He and the Government have undertaken sustained investment in this hospital and in capacity across the entire mid-west region's health system.

There are currently two MRI scanners in UHL, one owned by University Limerick Hospitals Group and a second operated by Alliance Medical, which serves patients in the hospital and also provides a GP service out of hours. Through this service, a certain number of MRI slots are available at the weekends for patients who have been discharged from UHL during the week to return at the weekend for their scans. Without this service, these patients would remain in hospital. There are challenges in the provision of diagnostic scans in UHL as demand for radiology tests exceeds available capacity. I am advised that priority is being given to inpatients and to oncology outpatients.

Work is currently under way at the hospital as part of the HSE capital plan to reconfigure and extend the current radiology department. This project will deliver an additional MRI at the hospital. The overall investment in extending the radiology department will provide a much-needed and welcome increase in diagnostic capacity for the hospital. A tender for enabling works for this project issued in November 2023. The detailed design planning is in process and will go to tender shortly.The project is expected to be complete in quarter 1 2026. The extension and improvement of the radiology department will also accommodate consultant radiologist offices, on-call facilities,

teaching space and changing room facilities.

Currently for patients in the mid-west, GPs can refer directly to a community radiology diagnostics service. These services facilitate access to X-ray, CT, DEXA and MRI scans for patients. In 2023, more than 19,000 radiology scans, including MRIs, were carried out in the HSE mid-west under the GP access to community diagnostics scheme, reducing referrals to emergency departments, acute medical units and outpatient departments. This record activity for the scheme surpassed the 15,755 radiology scans completed in 2022.

All MRI referrals are vetted by a consultant radiologist and patients are prioritised based on their clinical need. The Minister is aware of, and has been engaging extensively to relieve, the significant pressures on the broader health system within Limerick and across the region. University Hospital Limerick has received substantial investment in recent years. In 2019, the hospital had a budget of €265 million. This year, the budget is €382 million, meaning it has grown by €117 million, or 44%, in just five years. We are also investing in additional bed capacity. Since January 2020, 150 new beds have been opened across the University of Limerick Hospitals Group, of which 98 are in University Hospital Limerick. On top of this existing investment, in April 2024, the Minister announced a package of additional measures to address the ongoing issues within the hospital. I know the Minister will continue to work with the HSE to ensure that the new regional executive officer for the mid-west is fully supported in delivering improvements for the region.