A consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Merlin Park Hospital in Galway has said there are no indications as to when new operating theatres at the hospital will be built or opened.
Two operating theatres at Merlin Park were closed on health and safety grounds last month when doctors discovered significant leaks in the roof of the building that houses the facilities.
All elective orthopaedic procedures, including hip and knee replacements, spinal procedures and hand and foot surgeries, were cancelled.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Drivetime, Dr Stephen Kearns said the closures have led to hundreds of cancelled orthopaedic surgeries.
He and his colleagues are calling for emergency temporary mobile theatres to be built in the interim.
"The modular theatre - the emergency solution - I would hope we would have up and running in the very nearest future weeks or months," he said.
"The longer solution for Galway is a new build for orthopaedics on the Merlin site and, obviously, that is a process that will take a number of years," Dr Kearns added.
Dr Kearns said he is hoping for a sense of urgency around the issue following a meeting with Minister for Health Simon Harris.
Merlin Park Hospital is the only place within the Saolta Hospital region, which serves patients all across Connacht and the western seaboard, to carry out certain orthopaedic procedures.
750 patients are waiting for surgery at Merlin Park, with 5,000 more waiting on outpatient appointments.
