Taoiseach to open new 50-bed block at Portiuncula Hospital
Simon Harris is to open a new 50 bed block at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe.
The Taoiseach will officially open the additional capacity at the hospital on Wednesday, September 11, at 10.30am.
Fine Gael Senator for Roscommon/Galway, Aisling Dolan, praised the upgrade to the local hospital's facilities.
“Over €34 million in government investment in Portiuncula has transformed our hospital," she stated.
"We now have a world class building with individual rooms with en-suite, coming from a world of multi-bed ward blocks where there wasn’t space for our healthcare staff to bring equipment to look after patients.
"This is really a wonderful achievement. This high-spec building means the highest level of patient care, ensuring better infection control, privacy for people and their families especially at difficult times."
The Senator from Ballinasloe called Portiuncula Hospital the "lifeblood" of the town.
She noted that the hospital is a maternity teaching hospital with a 24/7 Emergency Department, and University of Galway and Limerick Medical Academies.
"It is the main hospital for the people of Athlone, and families living all across the counties of Roscommon, Westmeath, Offaly, North Tipperary as well as East Galway. With a catchment of over 400,000 people this will transform the level of care to our families and loved ones," she added.
Senator Dolan also noted the addition of nine additional treatment bays for the hospital's Emergency Department were included in the HSE Capital Plan in 2022, which is now progressing to the design stage.
She said: “An Taoiseach Simon Harris will have the opportunity to visit the Emergency Department and hear about these design proposals and timeline, as well as the new Dunlo Suite which doubled the single-room capacity when the outpatients unit was converted into much-needed patient rooms.
"I also know that the hospital team will be looking to the future and to a new build for beds as demand for services increase year-on-year.
"Athlone is a regional growth centre, as outlined in the Regional Economic & Spatial Strategy with 30% population growth targeted from current estimate 23,000 to close to 30,000 in 2030," she added.