Galway Bay fm newsroom - A meeting of the Regional Health Forum has been told that the future of two Tuam area healthcare developments is dependent on budgetary approval.
Head of HSE Estates division in Galway Joe Hoare, confirmed that both the Old Grove Hospital and Tuam Community Nursing Unit projects are cashflowed, but whether work will begin on either facility, next year, will not be known until October.
Mr Hoare indicated that cost overruns on the National Children's Hospital in Dublin, due to work stoppages caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, has put increased pressure on funding for other projects.
He said, however, the fact the Tuam Community Nursing Unit project has received a €7.2 million donation from the O'Toole family would help its funding application.
The Community Nursing Unit project is expected to cost in the region of €19 million, while the redevelopment of the Old Grove facility is costed at €13 million - with tenders for both projects expected to be published in the coming months.
Tuam area Councillor Donagh Killilea raised concerns in relation to the status of both developments at last evening's HSE forum meeting.
He says the fact the National Children Hospital is impacting on vital services in Tuam is extremely frustrating.
