Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In this democracy, the Deputy gets to ask the question but he does not get to tell people what they can say in response. I think it is quite important that I have a right to speak freely in this Chamber to which I am also democratically elected.

The Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler, Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh and Senator John Cummins have been working on this, as has Deputy Shanahan and Deputy Cullinane. We should not doubt the bona fides of all people in Waterford in trying to improve the services for people in University Hospital Waterford and improve the cardiac services. While we have our political spats from time to time, I do not doubt the Deputy's bona fides on this. I acknowledge that.

We have seen a significant level of investment to improve and expand cardiac services. The second cath lab opened on 4 September 2023. By any fair measurement that was an important milestone. It has been operating five days per week, Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. We have seen 24 whole-time equivalents provided to open the second cath lab. The hospital is using a combination of day beds and recovery spaces for the operation of the second cath lab. The medium- to long-term options for recovery beds are now being discussed with the HSE, involving the relocation of the on-call residents and refurbishment of this area. The opening hours for the first cath lab were also extended in September 2022. Permission has now been granted to recruit a specific group of staff for the initial tranche for 2024. It is now an operational issue for the HSE to do so. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has assured me that permission has been granted by the Department of Health to recruit a specific number of staff for the initial tranche of new developments for this year. The HSE is now charged and getting on with doing that.

In light of the Deputy's raising the issue today, which is a fair and important issue for people of Waterford, I will engage directly with the CEO of the HSE to seek an urgent update on this matter. All of us in this House want to see an expansion of those services. We need to do it in a way that is clinically advised and clinically safe. I will seek an urgent update from the CEO of the HSE for the Deputy on the matter.

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