The HSE has confirmed that Portiuncula Hospital will play a pivotal role in healthcare in the West, according to Galway East Fianna Fáil TD Noel Treacy.
Deputy Treacy secured assurances about the future of the facility at a cross-party meeting on hospital services in the region last week. The HSE revealed plans for a complete overhaul of healthcare in Galway and Roscommon to improve efficiency and safety for all patients. Under the “Integrated Network Configuration” plan, services will be spread out across UCHG, Merlin Park University Hospital, Portiuncula Hospital and Roscommon General Hospital, so patients will have more options to get the care they need without delay.
Commenting on the plan Deputy Treacy said, “I have fought to safeguard the future of Portiuncula Hospital and I have been in contact with the HSE on numerous occasions about this issue. This announcement proves that not only is Portiuncula safe, it will receive increased investment to help absorb some of the workload from UCHG.
“A number of local people had contacted me with concerns about the future of the hospital and I have always insisted that it will remain an integral part of our health services here. Under this new plan, the HSE estimates that over a third of the patients currently treated at UCHG could be treated instead in Portiuncula and Roscommon. Patients requiring routine procedures, minor treatment and primary healthcare will attend these two facilities.
“The aim is to radically improve the speed and comfort of healthcare provision for all patients. To this end, the HSE has now confirmed that it plans to pump extra resources into Portiuncula Hospital. Under the reconfiguration targets, patients can be seen, treated and discharged within 6 hours of leaving their home.
“Local and national HSE management have confirmed that the maternity unit in Portiuncula Hospital is as important to the region as the unit in UCHG. They have also told me that there never was, nor will there be, any threat to Portiuncula Hospital. This clearly confirms my own consistent statements on the issue over many years,” concluded Deputy Treacy.
