Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister's statement. I also welcome the fact that following today's meeting we have moved much quicker to what we hoped to achieve by pressing the motion in September after the recess. The Minister stated that the review will seek to ensure that as many patients as possible have access on a 24-7 basis to safe and sustainable emergency interventions following a heart attack. The review will encompass all regions of the country, including the south east.

The Minister said his Department will immediately commence the preparatory work, including identifying an international expert and examining the scope of the review. Time is of the essence so it is essential that the preparatory work commences immediately and that no day is wasted. The terms of reference will be extremely important and I welcome that an international expert will undertake the review. The guiding principle for the review will be to strive to provide a primary PCI service that can deliver clinical outcomes on a par with international standards. This service can only be delivered on clinical and medical outcomes and the consultants in Waterford and the south east recognise that fact.

I also welcome that the review does not impact the additional resources provided to University Hospital Waterford, the extension of the eight hours opening time, for which staff are currently being recruited, and the commitment to the deployment of a mobile catheterisation laboratory which will deal with 460 people who are currently waiting for services. I also wish to refer to the Minister's previous commitment to a stand-alone regional review. We understand that this might be superseded in the event of a favourable recommendation following the national review.

This is a stepping stone. We have a long way to go. I respect what the Minister has achieved tonight and I look forward to engaging again with him and the other Members of the Oireachtas from the south east and Waterford. It is imperative that we work together. The outcome must deliver 24-7 cardiac care for the people of Waterford and the south east. Our voices will continue to be heard as we work together in a constructive manner.

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