Cllr Cillian Keane, Fianna Fáil candidate in the Galway West by-election, has called on the Government to use Budget 2027 to lock in funding for the next phase of the University Hospital Galway (UHG ) Masterplan and to commit to phased delivery of the full plan without slippage between stages.
The full Masterplan, estimated at €4-5 billion, is intended to deliver 300 additional inpatient beds, a new emergency department, expanded critical care, surgical theatres, a cancer centre, medical laboratory, a new women and children’s block and a permanent helipad on the UHG campus, alongside the new elective hospital and surgical hub at Merlin Park.
UHG is the only Model 4 hospital in HSE West and North West, serving a population of over 850,000 and acting as a supra-regional centre for cancer and cardiac services for a catchment of close to one million people from Donegal to north Tipperary.
Cllr Keane said the UHG Masterplan is a once-in-a-generation plan for healthcare in the west and north-west.
“The test now is funding. The plan only delivers if every phase is funded as it lands on the Minister’s desk. We cannot have a gap between stages. If elected to represent the people of Galwyt-West, I will ensure Budget 2027 will deliver for the UHG masterplan.
“UHG is not just Galway’s hospital. It is the only Model 4 hospital between Donegal and north Tipperary. Every year of slippage on this Masterplan is another year of long roads, long waits and long flights for patients who deserve better.
“I’m 25. The current Masterplan runs to 2045. My generation will be raising families and looking after older parents under the hospital this plan builds. If we get the funding sequence right now, in this Budget and the next, we can get it built and get it done. If we let it drift, my generation pays for that drift for the next twenty years.”
Cllr Keane confirmed he will be raising the Budget 2027 capital allocation for UHG with party colleagues at national level in the weeks ahead including Minister Jack Chambers and will continue to work with constituents, clinicians and patient advocates.
