Independent Ireland councillors Noel Thomas and Sean Cunniffe have secured council backing for a motion calling on Minister Jack Chambers to classify University Hospital Galway as critical infrastructure under the incoming Critical Infrastructure Bill.
Councillor Thomas said the Bill is the correct vehicle to accelerate the long-delayed development and upgrading of UHG.
“The Government says the Bill will require public bodies to accelerate approval of designated projects, coordinate decision-making, allocate resources, and fast-track projects “without eliminating any legal or regulatory safeguards.”
“UHG is already critical infrastructure in every practical sense,” said Councillor Thomas. “It is the main acute hospital for Galway and the wider West and North-West. The problem is that Government has not treated it with the urgency that critical infrastructure deserves.”
The UHG Development Control Plan is intended to guide redevelopment of the hospital campus up to 2045, including 300 new inpatient beds, a new Emergency Department, critical care, surgical theatres, a cancer centre, maternity and children’s services, and a permanent helipad.
Councillor Thomas said that timeline is exactly why the critical infrastructure route is needed.
“People in Galway cannot wait until 2045 for a hospital system that works. The plans are there. The need is obvious. What is missing is Government urgency.”
Recent reports have again highlighted the pressure at UHG, with elective procedures postponed in January due to overcrowding, trolley pressures, surge areas being used, and long waits for admission from the Emergency Department. ? A regional campaign has also pointed to the absence of an on-site PET scanner at UHG, despite its role as a primary acute hospital for the West and North-West. ?
Councillor Thomas said this motion, brought by Seamus Walsh and himself, is about holding Government to account. If the State can create a fast-track process for energy, transport and water infrastructure, then the same urgency must apply to hospital capacity in Galway.”
“We are asking Minister Jack Chambers to make UHG a priority under the Critical Infrastructure Bill. That means putting it at the top of the queue across public bodies, cutting avoidable delays, and ensuring the West gets the hospital infrastructure it has needed for years.”
“Galway needs delivery, not excuses. Patients, families and frontline staff deserve a hospital that is fit for the region it serves.”
