Galway Bay fm newsroom - Essential surgical procedures scheduled for Galway's public hospitals are to be transferred to Galway's private hospitals from next week.
That's according to public hospitals authority Saolta, which says a number of services will be moved out of hospitals which have emergency departments.
Time dependent surgeries, and other critical activities, are being moved out of UHG, Merlin Park and Portiuncula Hospitals, as preparations continue to deal with the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
It's understood critical patients will be moved to the private hospitals from next week - with specific medical and rehabilitation appointments to follow in due course.
This week, the Health Minister announced that the Government would be bringing private hospitals under its control to deal with the Covid-19 emergency.
Saolta Chief Operations Officer Ann Cosgrove says the health service is relying on the public's continued cooperation in tackling the virus - to hear more, tune in to Galway Bay fm News on the hour
