Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This is certainly a step in the right direction towards the ultimate goal of 24-7 cardiac care in the south-east. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of delivery as soon as possible. It is 6.30 p.m. and here in Dublin, if any of us were to have a cardiac issue, we could be brought to one of many cath labs throughout Dublin. However, in Waterford and the south-east the cath lab has been closed since 5 p.m. and it will not open again until 9 a.m. in the morning. The Minister of State has to understand how important this issue is to us. The lab opens from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, with absolutely no cover at the weekend. A patient has only the option of being transferred in an ambulance to Cork.

I have always maintained we need a 24-7 cath lab at University Hospital Waterford which can provide both diagnostic and cardiac intervention. Waiting lists at University Hospital Waterford for cardiac diagnostic procedures are currently at an all-time high. The only way to deal with this is to get the modular lab on the ground as soon as possible. We will have to continue to hold the Minister to account until we see it.

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