Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Jimmy Devins, to the House. He will fully appreciate the current problems with a number of services in Kerry General Hospital as he has a close relative, a prominent consultant, working in the hospital.

Some years ago, there was no public cardiologist service in Kerry. At the time, I arranged a public meeting from which it was agreed that the Bon Secours private hospital in Tralee and Kerry General Hospital would co-operate in using a cardiologist. Initially, this worked very well, with six units out of ten in the Bon Secours and four in Kerry General Hospital. However, due to a lack of resources and support, the then cardiologist left and he has been replaced by consultant cardiologist, Dr. Carey, who is not happy with the type of support services he has for the public element of his contract.

Just last week, an article in The Sunday Tribune demonstrated clearly that Irish people are three times more likely to die from heart disease than those in France, Portugal and Italy. Despite our country's wealth, Ireland's mortality rates from cardiovascular disease are as bad as those in less well-off eastern European countries such as Poland, Macedonia and Croatia. In Ireland, Kerry has a higher rate of heart disease than any other part of the country. More decisive action needs to be taken to come to terms with this problem.

The recent Irish Life insurance figures showed that 31% of the deaths in Kerry were attributed to cancer and 31% to heart disease. It is obvious heart disease is at an unacceptable level in Kerry. Some 250 patients are currently on the waiting list for echocardiograms and more than 100 patients are on the waiting list for coronary angiograms. Before Christmas, three patients who were on the coronary angiogram waiting list died. If the treatment service had been available these three patients might not have died. Another patient who was on the waiting list collapsed and had three stents inserted while on holiday in France.

A number of initiatives should be taken which I will outline. There is a need to upgrade and replace the current echocardiogram machine. The finished quality and storage capacity of the current machine have deteriorated significantly in recent months and it does not allow for accurate assessment of diagnosis for two reasons. First, the machine is eight years old and, second, the current model is obsolete. In addition, a portable echocardiogram machine is required as a secondary machine for inpatient echocardiograms and ICU scans as the hospital is currently carrying out approximately 1,600 scans.

There is also a need for adequate data storage. Current echocardiograms are performed and reported on with the consultant on a single machine. This restricts the number of echocardiograms that can be performed, as reporting schedules have to be scheduled at regular intervals. A PC-based system would allow for off-line reporting to allow for increased scanning times.

The quality of readings on the current stress test machine, which has been obsolete for a number of years, continues to deteriorate and needs to be replaced as a matter of urgency. Because of his knowledge of and connection with Kerry General Hospital I appeal to the Minister of State, Deputy Devins, not just to respond to the matter but to follow it up for the sake of people in Kerry where we have the highest rate of cardiovascular disease in this country. Surely this warrants some type of action and reaction.

Jimmy Devins (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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I am taking the matter on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Harney, the Minister for Health and Children. I thank Deputy Deenihan for raising this important matter.

The appointment of a full-time consultant cardiologist for Kerry General Hospital is a priority for the southern hospitals group of the Health Service Executive, HSE. The management of the hospital itself is committed to providing the best possible quality of care to all its patients and is working with the National Hospitals Office of the HSE to further enhance the cardiology service at the hospital during the coming year.

In line with the cardiovascular health strategy, Building Healthier Hearts, published in 1999, investment in the development of cardiology services has taken place across the region, in both Cork and Kerry. Kerry General Hospital received €503,778 over the first three years of the strategy to develop cardiology-related services. This resulted in approval to recruit a number of staff, including four coronary care unit nurses, an occupational therapist, two student cardiac technicians, a cardiac rehabilitation sister and cardiac rehabilitation nurse, a dietician and a physiotherapist.

In 2004, the fourth year of the strategy, €160,000 was allocated to begin the process of establishing a consultant cardiology service in Kerry with a full-year allocation of €476,000 in 2005. This funding allowed the HSE south to appoint a cardiac technician, nurse and clerical support as well as providing certain non-pay costs.

The strengthening of the infrastructure in Kerry General Hospital has so far enabled the hospital to develop a cardiac rehabilitation service, a cardiac non-invasive diagnostic service, to extend its telemetry service in the CCU, extend its resuscitation training programme and provide for ongoing staff training. It has also ensured that essential cardiac equipment was procured for the cardiology service at the hospital.

The HSE has advised my Department that currently a consultant cardiologist from the Bon Secours Hospital, Tralee, is working in a partnership arrangement with Kerry General Hospital, thus facilitating the development of specialist cardiology services. Kerry General Hospital and the HSE southern area remain committed to enhancing the cardiology service at the hospital in line with Government policy and at the rate at which resources can be allocated.