Galway Bay fm newsroom – €4.4m in funding has been awarded for a ‘shape-shifting’ implanted medical device led by University of Galway.

The funding from the European Union is for the SMARTSHAPE project – which aims to provide continuous blood pressure monitoring.

Hypertension is the leading global contributor to premature death – but there is no clinical standard of monitoring beat-to-beat blood pressure outside hospital settings.

The SMARTSHAPE consortium is led by Professor William Wijns, Research Professor in Interventional Cardiology at University of Galway’s College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.

Professor Wijns explains how this device will benefit patients

Galway Bay fm newsroom – A local councillor is slamming the lack of action over what he describes as pungent smells of sewage in Gort town.

Councillor Joe Byrne says the odour has escalated in the past 12 months and he claims Irish Water will not address it.

It comes as the town had a boil water notice lifted last month which had been in place since early December of last year.

Speaking to Galway Talks, Councillor Byrne explains the impact it’s having on the community:

Galway Bay fm newsroom – University Hospital Galway recorded the second highest on average for trolley waiting numbers over the winter months.

According to the Irish Independent, on average, 32 patients were left waiting daily at UHG.

It’s just behind the highest which was Cork University Hospital with an average of 35.

Meanwhile, Portiuncula Hospital, despite having its worst ever January for overcrowding, recorded one of the lowest figures in the country for patients left waiting over a day for a bed across all winter.

44 people were waiting more than 24 hours at Portiuncula – the lowest was in St Luke’s in Kilkenny, with 27 patients left in that position.

Today, 19 people are waiting for a bed in Portiuncula and 46 in UHG