Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue and generally for his consistency in raising these issues in respect of Waterford University Hospital and the broader constituency. He referenced the national maternity hospital. That was first announced in 2013. It is now 2022. It is questionable as to whether too many walls have been gone through. It took seven years to get to a point where a decision was taken to build it. In the case of Waterford the issue in recent years has been the cath lab. Work on the construction of the second cath lab commenced in March 2021. It will be completed by the end of August. The second cath lab will be available for operational use from the end of October this year. This is in the context of Covid-19, with the shutdown in construction. The second cath lab will mirror the existing cath lab and will be able to undertake the full range of diagnostic, interventional and non-interventional cardiac procedures available in the existing upgraded cath lab.

All consultant cardiology posts are currently filled in the hospital. There is an issue with the recruitment of an additional registrar to support the 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Friday service. That position is being recruited as a matter of urgency. A total of 24 whole-time equivalents were approved by the South/South West Hospital Group in November 2021 for the staffing of the second cath lab, which is a significant commitment to the undertakings we gave the Deputies and representatives of the south east. We are awaiting the presentation and publication of the national review of specialist cardiac services. The overall budget of the hospital has increased by about €60 million since January 2020, which is a 20% increase and a significant commitment to University Hospital Waterford.

I accept the Deputy's point about timely care and that having the right care at the right time in the right place is critical. More generally, we want to develop further services at University Hospital Waterford in addition to the second cath lab. In terms of the capital programmes, in particular, as the Deputy knows, a report is expected to be finalised in the coming weeks. That review has been strategically examining the current and future capacity requirements of University Hospital Waterford to ensure that proper planning is in place for the next 15 years to invest in the hospital. The South/South West Hospital Group will work with HSE estates to make the relevant capital submissions for new developments that are required at the hospital. HSE estates has confirmed that a submission will be made at the capital steering committee for the development of additional bed capacity for the hospital. There has been significant investment across Waterford but I do not have time to go into that now. Perhaps it could be given as a supplementary response.

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