New Galway hospital will provide 200 extra beds

Galway’s new public hospital will provide an additional 200 beds and boost in-patient capacity at Galway University Hospital by around 30 percent, it has been confirmed.

The decision to build a new elective hospital in Galway was recently revealed in the Government’s capital plan. It is understood that the facility will be developed on the grounds of Merlin Park Hospital.

Plans are at an early stage, but Fine Gael TD Hildegarde Naughton has confirmed that the new hospital contains a total of 200 new beds, which will represent an increase of 30 percent on the current in-patient capacity of UHG and Merlin Park.

Deputy Naughton has led the campaign for a new hospital in Galway since her election to the Dáil in 2016. The inclusion of the facility in the Government’s €10.9-billion spending plan last month was a major step in that campaign.

“I’ve continued to work with Minister Simon Harris and officials in the Department of Health since the announcement of Galway’s new elective hospital last month, and I can confirm from these discussions that the new facility will provide a total of 200 new beds,” said Deputy Naughton.

It is envisaged that the new elective hospital will accommodate all scheduled procedures, freeing up capacity at UHG for trauma and emergency cases. It is part of the most significant investment in healthcare infrastructure in a generation, according to Deputy Naughton.

“In addition to the allocation of funding for the development of an elective facility in Galway, Minister Harris has also provided €1 million for an options appraisal in respect of proposals to build a new acute hospital at Merlin Park. This is currently underway,” she said.

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