Independent Ireland have slammed the Government’s continued outsourcing of PET scanning services by Galway University Hospital (GUH), describing it as a clear failure of planning, investment and accountability.
A series of Parliamentary Questions submitted by Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice confirmed that outsourcing costs exceeded€1.35 million in 2025 with a total spend exceeding €5.17 million in the last five years.
Deputy Fitzmaurice said the figures expose a deeply flawed approach to healthcare infrastructure in the West.
“We are now spending almost the cost of a brand-new PET scanner every single year outsourcing scans to private providers and Dublin hospitals. That is not value for money — it is waste caused by failure to invest properly in GUH,” he said. “If it wasn’t for private hospitals, there would not be a PET scanner anywhere in the West of Ireland – what does that say to the people of Galway and surrounding areas?”
“The responses to the PQs show that the cost of a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) Scanner can range from €1.6m (basic) – €2.8m (ultra-high end specification) – what that means in real terms is that up to 3 PET scanners could have been purchased for the money the Government have spent on outsourcing the services. That is a damning indictment , and another clear example of Government mismanagement and waste of taxpayers money,” he said.
The party’s candidate in the bye-election, Noel Thomas, said that key concerns highlighted included: rising recurring outsourcing costs to the State; delays and fragmentation in cancer diagnosis and treatment; patients travelling huge distances from across the West and North West; additional burden on patients and families; underinvestment in a major Model 4 hospital; and continued delays to the GUH Masterplan and infrastructure upgrades.
The party said it was unacceptable that GUH, the busiest Model 4 hospital in Ireland, still does not have an on-site PET scanner while four are located in the Dublin region.
“This is a significant structural gap in healthcare provision. Early diagnosis is critical in cancer care, yet patients from Malin Head to Clare are being forced to travel because the infrastructure simply is not there locally,” Deputy Fitzmaurice said.
MEP Ciaran Mullooly said the issue highlighted ongoing regional inequality in healthcare investment.
“The West and North West continue to be left behind. Sláintecare speaks about equitable access and integrated care, but the reality is patients are still being sent across the country for basic diagnostic services.”
Mr Mullooly also raised concerns regarding ageing infrastructure at GUH.
“We are still seeing laboratory facilities operating from 40-year-old temporary accommodation while projects become trapped in endless approval processes and bureaucracy.”
Noel Thomas said the continued delays demonstrated the need for the Government to fast-track the GUH Masterplan as strategic healthcare infrastructure.
“The public are entitled to ask why critical healthcare projects are still bogged down in business case processes while costs continue to rise and patients continue to suffer delays,” he said.
Independent Ireland called for immediate approval and delivery of an on-site PET scanner at GUH and fast-tracking of the GUH Masterplan under strategic infrastructure provisions – along with greater accountability and faster decision-making in healthcare infrastructure delivery and proper investment in regional healthcare capacity