David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State indicated that the acute coronary syndrome programme report of 2012 recommended that outside of Dublin, full 24-7 coverage should be provided at Cork University Hospital and University Hospital Galway, with University Hospital Waterford to continue to provide a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. service. The report identified additional costs in extending the service at Waterford and the requirement for additional interventional cardiologists, support staff and so on. Reference was also made to importance of having a critical population base. I agree that any service must be safe for citizens, but there is a critical mass of almost 500,000 people living in the south east. One of the concerns expressed by people in the region was that once the new hospital groups were in place, patients in Kilkenny or Wexford who were now grouped with hospitals in Dublin would no longer be seen as being in the catchment area of UHW. I hope what is happening here is not the first step in that direction and we do not end up with the hospital no longer performing the regional service it formerly provided.

Why did the previous Minister for Health give a clear commitment to the provision of full 24-7 cardiology care at UHW but we are now being told it cannot happen because of resources and because we do not have the critical mass? In fact, the numbers seem to be right, as set out in the ACS programme report. Will the Minister of State confirm it is the Government's view that it is unlikely 24-7 cardiology cover will be extended to University Hospital Waterford?