Hospital Facilities
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-18
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Mary Butler (FF), Waterford

I hope I will be able to give the Deputy some clarity. I thank him for asking the question, which I am answering on behalf of the Minister for Health. I acknowledge the Deputy's dedication to the people of Galway and beyond on raising these important health issues. I can assure him that the Government is committed to increasing elective-only day case capacity through the elective ambulatory care programme. This is being delivered in two phases, a national network of surgical hubs in the first instance to meet medium-term demand and capacity and, in the longer term, a national network of elective treatment centres in Galway, Cork and Dublin.
In relation to the surgical hubs, developments are well under way and a new hub is due to become operational at Merlin Park later this year, along with hubs in Cork, north Dublin, Limerick and Waterford. This will build on the success of the two hubs already opened, namely, the Reeves Day Surgery Centre in Tallaght and Mount Carmel surgical hub facility in south Dublin, which have reduced waiting times. The Galway hub will deliver thousands of procedures and treatments every year. As announced last July, surgical hubs are also in development for Sligo and Letterkenny to provide additional day theatre capacity in the west and north west.
In relation to the elective treatment centres, also known as elective hospitals, we remain committed to developing these in Cork, Galway and Dublin. As the programme has developed and evolved, the HSE has determined the most appropriate design for the new facilities. The introduction of the surgical hubs was not originally envisaged when elective hospitals were first proposed. The significant additional capacity being provided by these hubs has been an important factor in determining the model for the centres going forward. I understand the HSE has been considering how best to deliver elective care at Merlin Park. As the Deputy is aware, the HSE is considering extending the surgical hub. I understand that the design team is working through this and further details will be available in due course. The HSE expects to be in a position to apply for planning permission in the middle of this year.
The new elective treatment centre in Merlin Park will have six operating theatres - I think the Deputy referred to two - five endoscopy procedure rooms and ten minor operation procedure rooms.
This is a significant addition of capacity and will make a real difference to patients. This is not a reduction in ambition. I want to be clear about that.
As the Deputy knows, there are no beds at elective facilities and there is no intention to provide them. These are not for inpatient care. These are for people to get the procedure they want and to get them home to their own beds in a timely manner - in and out the same day. The intention is for the elective facilities to provide day case procedures and treatments, for example, those which do not require an overnight stay. Patients will arrive at and leave the facility on the same day. The development of the elective-only facilities I have outlined will also mean that capacity is freed up in existing hospitals for more complex or emergency acute cases.
I understand where the Deputy might have had confusion in relation to how many theatres there are. When the surgical hub was proposed for Waterford, it was designed to have two. It has since been upgraded to four. It will be operational by the end of the year. There is a real push for these surgical hubs. Two of them are open in Dublin. They are being built around the country to take pressure off the acute hospitals. These will be staffed separately. Sometimes elective surgeries are cancelled. This will not be the case.
I hope the Deputy can see that we are committed to improving elective care in Ireland. The plans we have in place are already making a real difference and helping to drive down waiting times. I look forward to the Deputy’s continued engagement on these issues.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:39+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-18