Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In 2020, the people of Waterford placed their trust me, many driven by a single issue, namely, the undelivered promise of 24-7 cardiac care in University Hospital Waterford. This is a critical service and a matter of life and death for the 600,000 people in the south east who rely on University Hospital Waterford. We have seen the tragic consequences of this unmet need through stories like that of Tom Power and Una McDermott, and the data exposed by the "RTÉ Investigates" team. An entire community marched in protest. Some 22,000 people took to the streets of Waterford in 2013. The issue is not new nor is the frustration.

The Taoiseach has a legacy here. As Minister for Health in 2016, he commissioned the Herity report, a document so riddled with errors that the word "clinical" was misspelled on the front page. It was hastily thrown together, deliberately misinformed, marred by dodgy and incorrect data and is still used to shield inaction. When the flaws of that report became apparent, as Minister for Health in 2016 he commissioned the national review of specialist cardiac care services led by Philip Nolan. For the past six years we have been told to wait for that review. The report remains buried on the desk of the Minister for Health. Promises have been made and recycled. The Taoiseach's colleague the Tánaiste, Micheál Martin, stood for a photo in Waterford in 2016 promising 24-7 cardiac care for the south east, a promise that played a role in his party's regaining a seat in the region. Standing beside him was the now Minister of State at the Department of Health, the main beneficiary of that promise. Last November on WLR's Damien Tiernan show, the Minister of State assured us that recruitment for a seven-day service would begin in January. In March, she had to return to assure us that recruitment would start in June. Again she returned and again nothing has happened. The promises are repeated but the people of Waterford wait.

Today I ask for clarity and accountability. When will the Government deliver 24-7 emergency cardiac care in Waterford? In his response, I ask the Taoiseach to limit his comments to the issue of 24-7 cardiac care. This is not about political point scoring. It is about fulfilling commitments made to a community. The Taoiseach now holds the levers of power and has the legacy on the issue. I ask him to expunge this wrong and show the people of the south east that politics can work for them.

See this speech in context