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South East politicians meet to discuss cardiac issue

South East politicians meet to discuss cardiac issue

Oireachtas members in the South East have said the time for talking about Cardiac Services in the region is over.

They're calling for an urgent meeting with the Minister for Health about providing a second permanent Cath Lab in Waterford.

Sinn Fein Deputy David Cullinane told WLR News that representatives from all parties met this morning. "What was agreed was that as regional TD's we will seek an urgent meeting with the Minister for Health , we will demand that the Minister sets out a clear timeline and also a clear pathway to enhancing services." He said they agreed that services have to be provided based on clinical and medical need and advice but if you look at all the information that is in the public domain it "all points to the need for a second Lab to be put in place as quickly as possible. That's what we're committed to," he added.

Deputy Cullinane says they're going to continue to put the pressure on. "What we want to do is to work together as Oireachtas members in the region to ensure that we can put as much pressure as possible on the minister to put the proper processes in place so we have the same level as services in this region that we have in every other region in the state."

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The 15 Oireachtas members were David Cullinane TD, Kathleen Funchion TD, John Halligan TD, John Paul Phelan TD, Michael D’Arcy TD, James Browne TD, Alan Kelly TD, Bobby Aylward TD, Brendan Howlin TD, Mary Butler TD, Jackie Cahill TD, Mattie McGrath TD, Seamus Healy TD, Senator Paudie Coffey, and Senator Grace O’Sullivan.

They agreed the following joint statement:

“Today’s meeting was constructive and useful. We are agreed that patients in the region must have safe, assessable and timely access to cardiac services including PPCI (emergency care). Permitting the existing situation to continue amounts to systematic discrimination and will not be tolerated. The Herity Report is flawed and needs to be replaced.

“The deployment of a temporary mobile Cath Lab has demonstrated beyond doubt that an additional permanent Cath Lab is necessary to reduce wait times and ensure that patients have timely access to emergency cardiac care. Since deployment wait times for diagnostic assessments have dramatically reduced, wait times for intervention work have, conversely, increased.

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“We strongly believe that urgent and decisive action is necessary and that a clear pathway to enhance cardiac services be put in place. We have agreed the following course of action.

  • That all Oireachtas members in the South East meet with the Minister for Health as soon as is possible.
  • That all patients in the region have access to the highest quality cardiac care and that this care be provided in a safe, timely and appropriate manner
  • That provision of a second Cath Lab at University Hospital Waterford is necessary to build on additional services
  • We note the carrying out of a review by the Acute Coronary Syndrome Programme and ask for its immediate publication
  • We agree that the time scale for the national review is too long
  • That interim steps need to be taken by the Minister for Health to immediately enhance services as previously agreed
  • If the Minister for Health fails to provide sufficient progress to enhance cardiac services in the region, we have committed to tabling an all-party Dáil motion demanding such services.

“We will jointly write to the Minister for Health Simon Harris today requesting an urgent meeting. We are fully committed to working on a cross party and grouping basis and our priority is to ensure urgent action is taken to enhance cardiac services for patients in the region.”

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