Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

University Hospital Waterford, UHW, remains the most underfunded of nine in the country. In 2016, the Taoiseach and his party gave a commitment to deliver 24-7 cardiac care to the south-east region, yet in the intervening six years, however, not one single hour of additional service has been provided and we remain at 39 hours per week. Along with 14 other Deputies from the south east, I wrote to the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, on 15 December, 3 February and again on 7 March, requesting that he meet all Deputies from the south-east region and asking him to take personal charge of the resourcing and capital issues being experienced at UHW that are delaying the roll-out of expanded services at the hospital. There has been no answer and nothing has been forthcoming from the Minister as yet. Our outpatient waiting list now stands at more than 50,000 people and, despite the pleas from the hospital management for additional capital resources, little to nothing has been provided by way of a solution. Will the Taoiseach direct his Minister to meet with Deputies from the south east to deliver on his party's promise to the south east and to provide the capital and personnel resources required to give us the required quality of care in the region?

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