Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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391. To ask the Minister for Health his plans in place to deal with the situation at Merlin Park hospital, Galway; the expected repair time; the arrangements for surgery to be carried out at an alternative site; the number of persons affected that were scheduled to have operations (details supplied); when they can expect to have their operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40650/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Saolta University Healthcare Group has advised that a leak developed in the roof of a building in the Merlin Park hospital campus that houses the Hospital's two orthopaedic theatres on the 4th of September. Hospital management temporarily suspended operations for a week to facilitate the Galway University Hospital Buildings and Maintenance Unit to effect repairs.

However, a second leak was noted on 13 September and Saolta advise that a multi-disciplinary team, consisting of members of the hospital's management and infection control teams and the HSE's West Estates division, took the immediate decision, in the interest of patient safety, to suspend operations in the two theatres to allow a full assessment of the infrastrucutural damage and the development of a plan to effect a complete repair of the damage. As a result, elective orthopaedic surgeries are now being deferred at Merlin Park and affected patients are being contacted by the Hospital. It should be noted however that no emergency patients have been affected.

Saolta and the University Hospital Galway management team have engaged an external engineering firm to carry out a full assessment of the damage and provide a time-frame for the completion of repairs. In addition, they are exploring a range of potential solutions including the use of modular theatres as an interim measure; assessing the scope to utilise excess theatre capacity in University Hospital Galway; and evaluating the appropriateness of outsourcing some services to the private hospital sector.

The relative merits of these solutions or a combination thereof will largely be determined by the length of time the orthopaedic theatres are expected to be out of commission. This timeline is also necessary to estimate the number of patients whose cases may be deferred.

Saolta and the University Hospital Galway management team have both been in regular contact with my Department to update on the situation at Merlin Park and my Department has requested that the Saolta Group formulate and implement a contingency plan to address this incident.

I have asked the HSE to contact you directly as soon as possible with this information.