Concern over what is said to be chronic underfunding of Galway's University College Hospital has prompted a group of medical professionals at the hospital to bring the issue to the top of the political agenda in Galway West.
Sixteen surgeons and anaesthetists have drafted an open letter to highlight their claim that people in Dublin have a greater level of medical care than their counterparts in the west. Recent Department of Health statistics show the hospital has the second-highest annual number of admissions in the State, but the authors of the letter are concerned it does not receive adequate funding.
The letter says St Vincent's Hospital, Dublin, has received an allocation of £50 million even though it has less of a workload than the Galway hospital and could pool its resources with other facilities in the capital.