Report reveals full scale of pest problem at Galway’s hospitals

Date Published: 06-Mar-2013

Galway’s three main public hospitals are home to all sorts of pests, rodents, creepy crawlies and disease-carrying insects, according to documents released to the Connacht Tribune.

Rats, mice, ants, pigeons, house flies, midges, blue bottles, flies, greenflies and silverfish are among the pests that were discovered at University Hospital Galway (UHG), Merlin Park Hospital, and Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe in 2012.

The cost of hiring pest control company, Rentokil, for UHG and Merlin Park increased by 38% last year, to €27,553; and Portiuncula spent a total of €6,051 on pest control last year, up by a whopping 72% on the previous year. Pest activity reports and details of pest control visits by Rentokil, the pests control company, to the three hospitals for the past three years, were released to the Connacht Tribune following a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI).

The cost of the pest control service was also released by the HSE in response to the FOI query.

The inspection reports, among other things, reveal problems with mice in the Emergency Department in Portiuncula; an ongoing and extensive problem with flies in UHG, including at its kitchen and where food is stored; and of a rat problem on the grounds at Merlin Park.

The HSE West, in a statement, said all three hospitals take the problem of pest control seriously; and any sightings of pests are immediately dealt with by pest control companies.

The cost of pest control at GUH (Merlin Park and UHG) in the past three years, 2010, 2011 and 2012 was €22,769, €19,935 and €27,553 respectively. For Portiuncula it was €1,669 in 2010, €1,669 in 2011 and €6,051 in 2012.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.