Minister of State John Halligan has confirmed that University Hospital Waterford will get a mobile catheterisation lab to help with cardiology waiting lists.
However, though the Independent Waterford TD called the mobile lab “a big step forward”, he will continue to campaign for a permanent second cath lab, a facility used to examine patients with serious heart problems.
Despite the announcement, a march organised by campaigners, who have been seeking a 24/7 cardiac care at the hospital and a second cath lab, is expected to go ahead on Saturday.
Mr Halligan, the Minister of State for Training, Skills and Innovation, last year threatened to resign from Government after failing to secure the upgrading of cardiac facilities. A Government-commissioned report did not find in favour of a second cardiac cath lab at the hospital.
Yesterday Mr Halligan said that an agreement had been reached after negotiations between the Independent Alliance and the Minister for Health, Simon Harris. "Consultants in the southeast sought the mobile lab as a counter-proposal to the HSE's plan to outsource patients to Cork," he said.
A plan to send almost 350 patients in Waterford to Cork for treatment under an initiative aimed at defusing controversy over cardiac services in the southeast was reported this week.
It is dependent on additional funds being made available to treat the cardiac patients at Cork University Hospital. Medical staff in Waterford are opposed to the plan.
Not settle
“I have been aware of this plan for some time,” said Mr Halligan, “and have been vigorously fighting against it, as was the entire Independent Alliance. And we made our position clear in our talks with Minister Harris. “We would not settle for services being moved out of Waterford.
“While this is by no means the end of the campaign for improving cardiac services in the southeast, [the mobile lab] is a big step forward,” Mr Halligan said.
The Minister for Health had also agreed to increase investment in the Waterford hospital to allow for longer opening hours to use the existing cath lab, as well as a further review, Mr Halligan said.
“What I would hope is that this review will demonstrate the need for the second lab,” he said. “Locating the mobile lab at UHW will ensure we don’t have a rolling situation where the overflow waiting list in Waterford is systematically referred to Cork.”
Mr Halligan said there was a waiting list of 773 patients, some of whom have been waiting up to two years for a diagnosis.
"The objective here is to help people having to wait six, seven months, up to a year, for an appointment," he told RTÉ's News at One. "You have to welcome any progress that takes patients off the waiting list. Reducing waiting lists is the main issue."
Temporary solution
The South East Patient Advocacy Group said it welcomed the announcement, but said it was “only a temporary solution to a permanent problem”.
The group said its planned protest on Saturday would go ahead as scheduled, starting at at 2pm in Ballybricken, Co Waterford.
While the group acknowledges that the move will help to reduce waiting lists, it maintains that the region still needs 24/7 cardiac care as 500,000 people will still be at risk.
“This announcement lacks clarity and detail as a further review is promised but no timeline is given ” said Hilary O’Neill of the group.
Added Yvonne Cooney of the group: “Forgive us for being cynical, but we have heard it all before. and until we get the 24/7 cardiac care, our campaign will continue vigorously.”
