UHG and Portiuncula with relatively high rates of patients catching infections

A snapshot survey has revealed that University Hospital Galway and Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe have comparatively high rates of patients catching potentially serious infections.

The report found that nearly 1,000 patients suffered from a bug or a virus on a hospital ward in 2023, according to the Irish Independent.

The report relating to 2023 shows Bantry Hospital in Cork had the highest rate at 26 percent, followed by Roscommon at 21 percent.

Portiuncula Hospital was among the next highest rates, standing at 12.3 percent, while UHG was slightly below that at 11.4 percent.

While those figures do not seem high, they are considered high when compared to other busy hospitals, which had rates of around 2 percent.

Hospitals with the lowest levels include the Mater Private Hospital in Cork, and the Bon Secours in Limerick and Tralee.

While the children’s hospital in Tallaght had no instance of a patient getting a hospital-acquired infection in 2023.