Keith Swanick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Dr. Herity. I will follow up on something the Minister of State and Deputy Cullinane mentioned earlier with regard to the fact that 40% of the workload undertaken in UHW is performed by consultants Dr. Niall Colwell from South Tipperary General Hospital and Dr. Aidan Buckley. Why were these consultants not spoken to or consulted with? I would have thought it prudent for all stakeholders to be included in this process. Second, one of the recommendations in the report is an extra eight hours weekly in the cath lab in Waterford. It would take between 12 and 18 months using these eight hours to clear the current waiting list. This is not a solution; it is a sticking plaster. Why only eight hours? How many preventable cardiac deaths or events will have occurred in that 12 to 18-month period? In 2013, the lack of a second cath lab in UHW was noted by the HSE as being a "critical clinical risk on its risk register". Did Dr. Herity consider this when undertaking his report? In March 2016, the south west hospital group approved a second cath lab as a priority. It was signed off by the CEO and it was queued for funding? Did Dr. Herity consider this when he was conducting his report?