Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the delegation to the Committee on Health. It is important that we hear their views on the record of the Oireachtas, and to publically acknowledge their efforts to address what they see as a deficit in terms of equality of access for patients in the south-east region. I believe they are delivering a public service beyond their remit.

A critical risk associated with a lack of a second catheterisation laboratory in UHW was identified. Who compiles the risk register, and who in the HSE has the authority to change the risk register? A critical point identified is that it has changed and this needs to be answered in the interests of transparency.

The Department was mentioned, and it was stated the instructions were "prefaced by the Department in biased terms". Can Dr. Owens explain how the Department has been biased on this very significant national and regional issue?

On the effective catchment population, there is a serious divergence of view between Dr. Herity and others. I am interested in hearing from the professional witnesses, being cardiologists and emergency services personnel, what is the definition of an effective catchment population? Is it, as Dr. Herity outlined, the existing patterns of throughput of patients to services at the hospital, or is it what I would consider the access within a 90-minute timeframe, which is the critical timeframe for percutaneous coronary intervention, PCI, for a catchment around a particular service? Some clarity on that point would be appreciated.

Dr. Herity puts much store in the BCIS, also known as the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society. That is from where he takes his standard. I would like to hear the views of the witnesses on that. Is it agreed that it is the recommended standard?

Regarding those who are outside the 90-minute PCI radius, the recommendation from Dr. Herity's report, without any specifics, is that those who cannot receive PCI within that critical timeframe of 90 minutes would receive what he calls an optimal reperfusion protocol. My question to the witnesses, as professional cardiologists and consultants, is on whether patients who are outside the 90-minute PCI and are transferred into that protocol are at a disadvantage in terms of survival rates? Has there been an analysis of patients in the past who received PCI versus those who received the reperfusion protocol, and what does that tell us about survival rates and where services should be located?