An Independent TD says the South East needs its own 24/7 cardiac care.
The call comes from Waterford Deputy Matt Shanahan after reports that the National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services sees Dublin, Cork and Galway the hubs for principal cardiac services.
The Irish Times also says interventional cardiology provision should be ‘strengthened’ at five regional hospitals, including University Hospital Waterford.
Deputy Shanahan’s long been advocating for that facility to provide round-the-clock coverage.
He says this update flies in the face of the recent three-year report from the National Office of Clinical Audit:
“What that showed is that less than 5% of patients from the South East are getting to any referred hospital for cardiac transfer within the clinical timeframe.
So that’s from any South East Hospital -from St Luke’s, South Tipperary, it’s from Wexford, it’s from Waterford. And therefore that tells me it doesnt matter if we have specialist multi-disciplinary centres say that we revert to in Dublin or Cork. The fact is people are not getting there within the transfer time protocol.
And nothings going to change in that without putting 24/7 into the South East”
