Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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127. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the provision of a catheterisation laboratory at Sligo University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4253/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Sligo University Hospital is currently served by a mobile Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory which provides services one day per week for elective procedures.

In terms of cardiac services in the North West region, a Cross Border Cardiology Service was established in 2016 between Letterkenny University Hospital and Altnagelvin Hospital providing primary PCI services for Donegal patients, with diagnosed heart attacks, at Altnagelvin.

Following treatment, patients are repatriated to either Sligo or Letterkenny University Hospitals. From May to the 20 December, 2016, 23 patients have received treatment under this scheme.

Any proposal for the further development of cardiac catheterisation lab services at Sligo University Hospital must first be considered from a Hospital Group perspective, and in relation to the planning for the cardiology needs of the population cared for by the Saolta Group hospitals. The development must then be considered in a national context, and in the light of competing demands for scarce resources.

In 2017, consideration will be given to a wider cardiology waiting list initiative, which will address waiting times for cardiology treatments in a number of hospitals, including Sligo University Hospital.