Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach said I reduced it to politics; I actually did not. He did when he stood in the grounds of University Hospital Waterford with the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and made a commitment to deliver 24-7 cardiac care to the south east. In recent weeks, I presented to the Dáil data from a three-year National Office of Clinical Audit report along with three years of patient ambulance transfer times for University Hospital Waterford that show that the average transfer time for a cardiac patient was three and a quarter hours, which is totally outside any clinical assessment where they can have any benefit of getting into a cath lab.

I was in the room in 2012 with Ambrose McLoughlin and James Reilly when the commitment was given to deliver a second cath lab to University Hospital Waterford. Here we are eight years later and we still do not have delivery on it. Beyond that, the Taoiseach talks about the report that is due out and the clinical evidence. There is no clinical evidence. There is evidence from three-year National Office of Clinical Audit report and we have ambulance data. However, the Government chooses to do nothing about it. In Waterford, the South/South West Hospital Group is running around claiming it is implementing the 24 whole-time equivalents. What has it recruited? It has recruited one porter and one cardiac physiologist. That is what it has recruited so far on the basis of a promise that was given 18 months ago. It is not about delivery and it is not about politics. I am here for the people of the south east and Waterford who I represent. The Taoiseach should represent them and deliver on his promise.

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