Capital Expenditure Programme
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-28
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Louis O'Hara (SF), Galway East

This is very important. There are regional inequalities in the area of healthcare, and these are particularly stark when it comes to cancer care. We do not have any PET scanners in public hospitals in the west. In many cases, patients can wait weeks before starting treatment for cancer. It is right across the board. We have seen elective procedures postponed at UHG due to overcrowding, with patients on trolleys and long waits in the accident and emergency department. We need the best possible facilities for people in Galway and right across the west of Ireland. It is what they deserve. A person's post code should not determine the quality of care that he or she receives, but that is the reality at present.
If we are serious about addressing this, the redevelopment of UHG has to be fast-tracked, it has to be made a priority and the necessary investment has to be forthcoming. There are real concerns that the Government has not budgeted sufficiently for the infrastructure either . This cannot be another project that is held up indefinitely. I understand that it is at an early stage, but I still ask the Minister to give a commitment that this is going to be fast-tracked as a critical infrastructure project. It is so important for the west of Ireland.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-28/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:08+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-28