The Western Health Board is considering bed-and-breakfast accommodation for patients from remote areas undergoing minor surgery in an attempt to cut hospital waiting lists.
The option would mean day surgery patients would not take up hospital beds.
Some patients who are suitable for day surgery from a medical point of view are at present unable to avail of this option because they have to travel long distances to their homes after their procedures.
For example, patients from Clifden have to travel more than 50 miles from the day surgery ward at Galway's University College Hospital after treatment. Patients from Achill must travel from Mayo General Hospital, Castlebar, which makes it impossible for them to undergo minor operations and return home in one day.
The health board's director of public health, Dr Mary Hynes, has confirmed in a report to the board that this is one of several options being considered to reduce hospital waiting lists in the region.
She said negotiations are also ongoing with nursing homes to try and develop service agreements for intermediate care of post-surgery patients, who no longer need the level of care provided in an acute hospital but who are not ready for discharge.
She said the board had made "real progress" in reducing its waiting lists this year.
She added that waiting times for a number of specialities remain longer at WHB hospitals than the targets set nationally of 12 months for adults and six months for children.
Some patients in the region are waiting over three years for urology; over two years for plastic surgery, vascular surgery, and ophthalmology, and 18 months for ENT (ear, nose and throat) procedures.
Dr Hynes said some of those with long waiting times have in the past deferred admission or might not have been clinically ready to undergo surgery.
"With the measures now in place, it is hoped that for the majority of specialities we will achieve the target of average waiting times of 12 months for adults and six months for children by the end of 2001," she added.