David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister might let me know, now or another time, if funding was available in the past for this particular unit and, if so, why it was not spent. If it was not spent, that is another story.

The Minister has admitted that this service in CUH is very limited. The whole of the south of Ireland does not have the kind of service that is available in Dublin and that is quite worrying. In the long term, this service would save money and, more important, lives. As I said earlier on, 90,000 people currently suffer from heart failure. Some 160,000 are at risk of impending heart failure. It is estimated that we will have more than 10,000 new cases of heart failure each year. Only 7% of people can identify the common symptoms of heart failure and one in four people with symptoms will wait a week or more to seek medical advice or will not seek medical advice at all. Some 84% of people have incorrectly thought people with heart failure live longer than those with cancer or who have suffered a heart attack or stroke. Heart failure causes more deaths than breast cancer and bowel cancer.

This centre is needed urgently in CUH to serve the southern region. Will the Minister use his influence and resources to set it up? It will, in the long run, save money and, more important, lives. I was amazed to learn that the whole south of the country does not have this service while other parts of the country do have it. There are six such units in Dublin. Why was it not done in Cork? More important, however, is that we should now get it done. I urge the Minister to make contact with the hospital group and to support it and give it what it needs to get the service established as soon as possible.

At the launch of the report, a heart failure patient spoke about the difference that the availability of a heart failure unit made to his life. This unit is in Dublin and is led by Professor Ken McDonald, who also spoke at the launch. This is something which should be done urgently. It is very important and it would save money and lives.

I thank the Minister for being here and wish him and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle a happy Christmas.

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