David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We cannot compare apples and oranges. My understanding of the review is that it was into acute services, especially primary percutaneous coronary intervention, PPCI, services. It was to look at location and what regions would have full 24-7 PPCI services. There is a separate need for a new cardiovascular strategy that will look at prevention, community care and cardiac care in its totality. As the Minister well knows, the current national cardiac strategy has ceased. It has come to an end, so there is a need for a new strategy. I have been informed by officials in the Minister's Department that they cannot start the work on the new wider strategy until the report into the acute services has been published. As such, it needs to be published. The Minister said that will be "in a few weeks". There is a lot of speculation as to what might happen in the next few weeks. No political party can go out and make promises on any issue unless we have full sight of the independent report into emergency cardiac services. That report needs to be published well in advance of an election. Can the Minister be clearer and firmer about what he means by "the next few weeks"? Will he give an indication of what recommendations the report makes for the south east, in particular University Hospital Waterford?

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