Galway Bay fm newsroom - Concerns have been raised over capacity issues at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe.
Roscommon/Galway TD Denis Naughten has questioned the Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly, about the hospital's ability to deal with current surge of COVID-19.
In June, Deputy Naughten contacted the former Health Minister Simon Harris seeking funding to develop two separate modular buildings to segregate and deal with both COVID and non-COVID patients at the facility.
In response to the concerns raised by Deputy Naughten, Minister Stephen Donnelly has said he will revert to his questions with a note as it refers to a specific capital build and refurbishment project.
In a statement to Galway Bay fm news, the Saolta Group confirmed there are six critical care beds in the hospital.
As part of the hospital’s COVID-19 escalation plan, two additional beds can be immediately escalated in response to a sudden increase in patient volume and demand for hospital care and resources including ICU beds, staff and equipment.
If required in the third stage of escalation, a further 5 ICU/HDU beds can be brought on stream.
It adds that enabling works are underway to prepare the site for the new 50 bed ward block which will provide 50 single en-suite rooms, while work is also underway to move the outpatients department to a new modular building which is due to be operational by the end of February.
Deputy Naughten argues Portiuncula is the only acute model 3 or model 4 hospital in the country that did not secure additional beds to cope with the surge in Covid infections.
He says the notes needed now from Minister Donnelly are those sanctioning the funding to provide actual beds in the hospital to deal with the current situation - for more, tune in to Galway Bay fm news on the hour...
