Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join the Deputy in expressing sadness at the news of the tragic death of a young man at the weekend while being transferred between two hospitals. I offer my sincere condolences to the family. Like the Deputy, I do not want to say anything that would add to the distress his wife and family are feeling at this time. I have discussed the issue with the Minister for Health who took a Topical Issue in the House yesterday when he gave as much information as he could. Obviously, we never go into the details of individual cases in the Dáil, but let me address some of the issues raised by the Deputy.

Of course, we want to ensure proper procedures are followed. That includes what the Deputy is saying about the circumstances surrounding this tragic death. Undoubtedly, in the first instance, the hospital will undertake a clinical review and a decision will then be taken on whether further action is needed. That is the normal process and it would be the right thing to do in this instance. If there are lessons to be learned, they should inform ongoing decisions in the provision of labs such as that discussed by the Deputy.

To outline the approach the Government has taken, in the programme for Government we stated there would be a review of services in Waterford. That review was undertaken by Dr. Niall Herity, an independent international cardiology expert. It concluded that needs in the catchment area could be accommodated from a single cath lab. However, it recommended investment - the Deputy will be familiar with this - to improve services by providing for additional hours of cath lab activity each week to address the issue of waiting times and provide extra access for patients. The Minister is committed to providing the extra hours to ensure the mobile cath lab will be provided. The national service plan of the HSE contains a sum of €500,000 to ensure the improvements will be made. I should also mention that this week the HSE issued a tender for the provision of a mobile cath lab which will on an interim basis contribute to a further reduction in elective cardiology waiting lists.

Like everybody in the House, I recognise that we had a tragedy last weekend, but the broader point I want to make is about provision. As Health spokesperson, the Deputy will be familiar with it. We have had to deal with this issue in the context of cancer services generally, for example, breast cancer services. The precise location and the development of specialist services have to be based on best clinical advice. There has been a lot of debate in the House about specialist services. We know that we would be doing the very best for patients if we were to centralise services in so far as possible, while also ensuring good access for patients all around the country. However, we must ensure the location of PCI services is based on the very best clinical assessment.

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