Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, on his elevation to the Cabinet last Saturday. I have worked closely with him for the past two and a half years on the health portfolio and I look forward to working with him again.

I wish to briefly raise one issue with the Minister that I know he is very familiar with. In Waterford and the south east, cardiac care is time-sensitive. It is now 6.15 p.m. in the Convention Centre in Dublin and if any of us were to suffer a cardiac attack or cardiac arrest we would be able to go to any number of hospitals in the surrounding area to have treatment. However, we are not as fortunate in the south east. The cath lab in Waterford closed at 5 p.m. It is open for 39 hours a week, Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is a clear commitment in the programme for Government to provide a second cath lab. My Oireachtas colleagues in Waterford and I have worked very closely together for the past four years and we have finally made progress. A second permanent cath lab has been agreed, it is written into the programme for Government and it must be delivered sooner rather than later. That is the most important element of progressing the situation in Waterford.

Currently, we are also recruiting for a fourth consultant cardiologist. To deliver 24-7 cardiac care in University Hospital Waterford, UHW, seven consultant cardiologists are required, in addition to a second permanent cath lab. It has taken so long to get to this stage and we are moving very slowly. People in Waterford and the south east are so frustrated. We feel there is an inequality of access to healthcare. There can be great outcomes for something as simple as a heart attack with stenting and the various procedures consultant cardiologists can do. I will be in the Minister's ear on a constant basis to get this over the line. I am sure my colleague to my left will raise the issue as well in the next few minutes. It is so important for us that we finally get movement on the issue. I ask the Minister to contact the relevant person in the Department to find out exactly where we are on the timeline. I accept that it cannot be helped that we have lost four months because of Covid.

We were at the planning stage and hoping to start construction in the summer. We need a clear timeline and outcome regarding this build. Once again, I offer my congratulations to the Minister.

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