A 50-bed hospital in Co Galway is to close before the end of the year, it was announced yesterday. Staff at the Bon Secours Hospital in Tuam were told the news following the failure of talks about a possible takeover by the Western Health Board.
The former maternity hospital was considered no longer viable. Although it did not have an accident and emergency department, the hospital admitted hundreds of patients every year for elective surgery, such as tonsillectomies and cataract removal. It also had convalescent facilities, serving Cos Galway, Mayo and Roscommon.
A hospital spokesman said it was with deep regret the Bon Secours sisters had come to their decision. He said patients would be transferred to Galvia private hospital in Galway city. "It just isn't possible to run two private hospitals in Galway county."
The Bon Secours order had initiated talks with the Western Health Board in the hope that it might take the hospital over as a step-down care unit for older people.
However, the board's chief executive officer, Dr Sheelah Ryan, said the hospital building was unsuitable for specialist care for the elderly, and the board had opted to extend its existing home for elderly people in the town.