Tenders open for €30m cancer treatment centre in Galway

The Health Service Executive (HSE) is advancing plans for a new €30 million cancer treatment centre in Galway City.

The HSE has invited tenders for the construction of a three-storey radiation oncology centre at University Hospital Galway.

The facility is to include seven radiotherapy treatment vaults, a brachytherapy suite, two CT rooms, on-treatment support and ancillary physics, treatment planning and administration facilities.

According to the tender, published this week, the new building will measure around 8,000 square metres and will be connected to the existing hospital via a single storey corridor.

The project also includes a new surface car park and connections to existing below ground services. The successful contractor must ensure hospital activities will remain in uninterrupted operation at all times during the works.

It is expected to take 14 months to complete the project.

Speaking in the Dáil last April, Health Minister Simon Harris acknowledged that the project would not be operational until 2021.

At the time he said the new cancer facility could not proceed until the enabling works – which was the construction of a new mental health facility at UHG – were completed.

The new acute mental health unit was officially opened last week, paving the way for work on the cancer centre to proceed.