Galway Bay fm newsroom - The long-awaited replacement of the CT scanner at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe will require considerable upgrade works.
The matter was raised at this week's meeting of the Regional Health Forum West by Councillor Evelyn Parsons.
Attendees at this week's meeting were advised that the priority for Portiuncula is the replacement of a fluoro X-Ray machine that dates back to 2001 - after which a new CT scanner will become the top equipment priority.
However, it was revealed the scanner, which was installed in 2007, cannot be replaced in its current location due to space constraints and downtime considerations.
Saolta bosses said the proposed approach is to install a new machine in a more suitable location - which will require infrastructural works and the securing of capital funding.
It was further noted that the project is expected to be progressed later this year with the CT scanner estimated to be replaced in 2022.
Saolta Chief Operating Officer Anne Cosgrove also confirmed that a second scanner will be sought at a later date.
A previous meeting of the forum in November heard that the current scanner had been out of action for 200 hours over the previous two years due to breakdowns.
This week's meeting heard that since November, there's been a single breakdown - from the 26th to the 27th of December.
On that occasion, three patients were transferred to University Hospital Galway for a scan.
