Private hospitals paid €1m to take patients from HSE waiting lists

Galway University Hospitals paid more than €1 million to private hospitals for the treatment of public patients last year as it struggled to cope with waiting lists and overcrowding.

A total of 2,723 patients were taken from waiting lists at GUH (University Hospital Galway and Merlin Park) and sent to three private hospitals for treatment and procedures at the taxpayer’s expense during 2015.

Figures show that 868 inpatients were referred from waiting lists at GUH to the Galway Clinic last year at a cost of €62,249; while 516 outpatients were sent to Kingsbridge Private Hospital in Sligo.

A further 1,339 outpatients were referred for treatment to Bon Secours Hospital in Renmore at a cost of €1,014,317; bringing the total spend on private care to €1,076,566 during 2015.

Fine Gael TD for Galway West, Hildegarde Naughton – who is campaigning for the development of a new hospital at Merlin Park – said the figures were further evidence that UHG can no longer deal with current levels of demand.

“It has been established that bed capacity at UHG cannot be increased due to spatial and planning reasons, and it is clear that the hospital cannot provide for the needs of our existing population.

“The longer it takes for us to come to the realisation that the development of a new facility at an alternative site is necessary, the longer waiting lists will grow and the more money will be squandered on stop-gap measures and piecemeal solutions,” she said.

Deputy Naughton has previously criticised the recent €18 million spend on a new ward block at UHG, which will not result in any additional beds.

Due to congestion on the site, a shortage of parking spaces, and planning restrictions contained in the City Development Plan, bed capacity cannot be increased.

“This problem is already costing us millions. These figures show that more than €1 million was paid to the private sector last year because of inadequacies with our public facilities.

“That money would have gone a long way towards improving and expanding our own facilities so that public patients could be cared for within the public system – but we cannot expand facilities on the existing site,” she said.