Senator Aisling Dolan - Strong Voice, New Vision.
More funding and shorter timelines “crucial” in overcoming challenges at Portiuncula Hospital – Senator Aisling Dolan
Welcoming news that half of the new 50-bed ward block is now in use, Dolan said more progress is needed at the hospital to cater to massive catchment area
Fine Gael General Election Candidate for the Roscommon-Galway constituency, Senator Aisling Dolan, believes more funding and shorter timelines are crucial in overcoming challenges at Portiuncula Hospital. Acknowledging the significant investment by the Government in recent years, Senator Dolan said a lot more progress is needed at the hospital to cater to its massive catchment area.
We have come a long way over the last few years, with the opening of the new €37 million 50-bed ward block and the €6.9 million new capital investment to expand the Emergency Department, but we can’t stop there,” she said.
She welcomed the news that half of the new 50-bed ward block at the hospital is now operational, and said the remaining 25 beds are expected to be in use by early January. “This is great news for Portiuncula Hospital but it is critical that the next development – the expansion of the Emergency Department – is fast-tracked,” Senator Dolan stated.
The development will see the addition of nine new treatment bays. This is badly needed and expected to open in 2027, but the reality is that we simply cannot wait that long,” she warned.
We need to accelerate this timeline and fast-track this long overdue investment in our Emergency Department. Portiuncula Hospital is one of my top priorities and I will fight for what the people of this constituency deserve. It is absolutely crucial that we can provide better services when people require immediate, urgent and critical care,” added Senator Dolan.
Continuing, she noted that the hospital has a catchment of over 400,000 people. Portiuncula is the main hospital for Athlone and it also serves South Roscommon, East Galway, and all of Westmeath, Offaly and North Tipperary. We have seen a 51% increase in budget for the hospital since 2020 from €83 million to €126 million and this is all very positive, but a lot more is needed,” she said.
