John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am afraid that I have to put the Taoiseach under pressure on health today as well. The Taoiseach will recall that in April 2013 I raised the grave concerns of people in my constituency to the effect that Waterford Regional Hospital, as it was then called, was in danger of being downgraded under the proposed hospitals network reconfiguration. Prior to raising that issue, the Taoiseach will remember, an estimated 15,000 people took to the streets in Waterford to raise their concerns. A number of concessions were made at the time to allay the fears of the people of Waterford, including that the hospital would be renamed Waterford university teaching hospital and academic teaching posts would be provided for consultants. We were told this would make it easier to recruit suitably-qualified medical staff. Round-the-clock interventional cardiology services were promised as well. When I raised the issue with the Taoiseach during Leaders' Questions in April 2013, he gave me his word. The Taoiseach said that Waterford would not be downgraded as a result of the reconfiguration.

I wish to draw the Taoiseach's attention to the comments of Michael Murphy, head of University College Cork. He is now threatening to issue a public apology to the people of Waterford for misleading them over false promises from the Government to fund academic appointments at University Hospital Waterford as part of the reconfiguration. It seems the Government commitment, made jointly with the HSE, to appoint three professors, two senior lecturers, a clinical tutor and administrative support has been broken. UCC has agreed to take on the permanent costs of the posts but has sought support from the Department for the funding for the first five years until an income stream is established. This has not been forthcoming. This is why Michael Murphy is now threatening to issue an apology to the people of Waterford.

The people of Waterford and the south east took the Taoiseach at his word when he told me that the hospital in Waterford would acquire the status of a specialised teaching hospital. Does the Taoiseach now acknowledge that in promising these teaching appointments and the 24-hour cardiology services at UHW, the Government has not kept its word? People in Waterford believe they have been sold a pup.

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