Cardiac surgery should fin ally be available in Galway by 2003, making the west a centre for excellence in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, according to a consultant cardiologist and medical and research director of Croi, the West of Ireland Cardiology Foundation.
Dr Kieran Daly of University College Hospital Galway says with the new regional heart surgery unit and coronary care unit under construction and the growth of the local biomedical industry, Galway is uniquely placed to become a centre of excellence in cardiology surgery.
With a previous pledge of £250,000 towards the new 12bed coronary care unit at University College Hospital, Croi will be contributing £1.25 million to the new regional heart surgery unit. The charity also aims to raise £2.5 million over the next five years for the development of cardiac facilities in the west, including an accommodation unit for relatives.