David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister's answer seems to be different from the one I received in May, which seemed to be an outright "No". The Minister's answer may be somewhat positive in that the issue remains to be considered and prioritised by the HSE. The Minister said one of the key criteria is that there be sufficient patient volume, which is the case. I gave the Minister the figures earlier and we have the population. It is concerning that the Minister said the priority to be afforded must be in the context of the needs and population of the group of which the hospital is a member. This will worry many people. One of the concerns the people of Waterford had when we joined the south-south west hospital group with Cork was that what is now UHW was a regional hospital servicing the population of the south east. If we are now ignoring this population base, we are ignoring the fact that Waterford is the capital, if you like, of the south east, and facility services patients in Wexford, Tipperary, Carlow and Kilkenny, but is seen solely in the context of the population of the hospital group. It is a clear departure from how services were provided in Waterford in the past, and I am slightly concerned about it. It remains to be seen what will be in the new plan for 2016. I appeal to the Minister to examine the facts and figures, the population and the patient throughput in the hospital. He will see that there is justification for full, 24-7 cardiology cover in UHW.