An elective-only hospital in Galway could potentially deliver 175,000 additional procedures and consultations a year, a public meeting organised by the Social Democrats in Knocknacarra heard this week.<\/p>\n
The meeting on Galway\u2019s healthcare crisis, held in Knocknacarra Community Centre, was hosted by M\u00edde Nic Fhionnlaoich, the Social Democrats\u2019 Galway West by-election candidate. Guest speakers on the night included P\u00e1draig Rice TD, the party\u2019s health spokesperson, and Senator Patricia Stephenson, director of elections for Galway West.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Rice said:<\/p>\n
\u201cHealthcare waiting lists are spiralling out of control while Sl\u00e1intecare reforms are slow-walked by the Minister for Health. Almost 130,000 people are on a hospital list for over a year \u2013 up almost 10,000 in December.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver 10 per cent of those are in Galway, with over 14,000 waiting more than 12 months for a hospital procedure.<\/p>\n
\u201cSl\u00e1intecare set out core wait times of 10 weeks for outpatients and 12 weeks for inpatient and day cases, but these are still nowhere near being met \u2013 almost nine years after the 2017 reform plan was published.<\/p>\n
\u201cKey Sl\u00e1intecare recommendations must urgently be delivered, such as elective hospitals. These facilities, planned for Galway, Cork and Dublin, are vital to ensure that emergency and urgent care does not crowd-out elective care \u2013 non-emergency, planned procedures.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe elective hospital for Galway was supposed to be delivered by 2027\/28 but a planning application hasn\u2019t even been lodged yet. While we\u2019re told it will be submitted later this year, such deadlines have become little more than moving targets. Even if this happens, it will be well into the 2030s before Galway\u2019s elective hospital is open to patients.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of prioritising elective-only hospitals, the Minister for Health has shifted her focus to surgical hubs \u2013 smaller facilities for day case surgery and minor procedures. The surgical hub for Galway, due to be completed later this year, will undoubtedly provide for much-needed increased capacity.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, the 28,000 additional procedures and consultations to be provided by that hub annually pales in comparison to the potential of an elective-only hospital, which could deliver around 175,000 additional procedures and consultations a year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking at the meeting, M\u00edde Nic Fhionnlaoich said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThere’s no one quick fix to the health system, but there are a range of measures which would make huge difference. These include our party\u2019s proposals to reform GP care; ending the pay and numbers strategy to get us to safe staffing levels; adequately funding our ambulance and mental health services; and the full implementation of Sl\u00e1intecare.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike so much of the country, Galway needs a major increase in GP numbers, particularly in rural areas and offshore islands where there are significantly more single-handed practices.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the Government\u2019s strategic review of general practice, which has been underway since 2023, is still not complete. That was due to finished by the end of 2023, but it is nowhere in sight. The time for reviews is over \u2013 we need real reform.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all view good health as one of the most important things in our lives. It\u2019s high time we saw it prioritised by the Government.\u201d<\/p>\n
March 27, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An elective-only hospital in Galway could potentially deliver 175,000 additional procedures and consultations a year, a public meeting organised by the Social Democrats in Knocknacarra heard this week. The meeting on Galway\u2019s healthcare crisis, held in Knocknacarra Community Centre, was hosted by M\u00edde Nic Fhionnlaoich, the Social Democrats\u2019 Galway West by-election candidate. Guest speakers on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16655,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,806,802,11,803,642,641,479],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-galway","category-galway-west","category-galway-west-by-election","category-health","category-mide-nic-fhionnlaoich","category-padraig-rice","category-patricia-stephenson","category-unlisted"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n