Mater cardiac crisis four times worse than protest-hit Waterford

Other hospitals may need mobile cath lab, Harris told

SIMON HARRIS has been told that the cardiac care crisis is far more severe at hospitals outside Waterford, despite the intense public and political pressure for extra services there.

And internal memos prepared by the Department of Health reveal that the situation is so bad at the Mater in Dublin and in Galway University Hospital that they may be in need of a mobile cath lab.

After calls were made for a permanent mobile cardiac care lab at Waterford, the Health Minister

Pressure for new lab by local Alliance minister

was advised that there was ‘greater need’ elsewhere. Mr Harris had requested a briefing note on the situation at Waterford last April, and whether the mobile cath lab should be provided.

In January, he had told Independent Alliance minister and Waterford TD John Halligan that he was determined to ‘drive down’ waiting times in the southeast.

However, Mr Harris was told that while a mobile lab could be made available for a limited period, problems with cardiac care waiting lists at Waterford were only a quarter of what they were in another major hospital. The memo said: ‘It should also be noted that cardiology waiting lists at the Mater in Dublin (1,654) and Galway University Hospital (900) are considerably more problematic than those at University Hospital Waterford (443).’

When it came to patients waiting more than 12 months for cardiac procedures, the situation at the two other hospitals was more stark. The Mater had 474 people waiting at least a year, while Galway had 164. By comparison, there were only 26 in Waterford, which had been cut to eight by mid-April.

And of that eight, it was thought that the majority had cancelled their procedures and should no longer have been on the list.

The memo said: ‘It may be difficult to justify providing a mobile cath lab at UHW [Waterford] while there is a greater need elsewhere.

‘In those circumstances, and in the event that funding becomes available, it will also be necessary to consider the need for a mobile cath lab at the Mater and Galway University Hospital.’

In a separate briefing note from May 4, Mr Harris was told that there were now only 10 people recorded as waiting over a year for cardiac treatment in Waterford.

That was the fifth highest figure nationwide, with more people waiting that length of time at the Mater, Galway, Cork and St James’ in Dublin. The crisis deteriorated further at the Mater, where 528 people were waiting at least a year, and 326 had been on the list for at least 15 months – compared to just three in Waterford.

The memo read: ‘The HSE has advised that its review of waiting list data would suggest significant pressures in other areas in relation to cardiology that may warrant additional capacity in the immediate term, such as at the Mater.’

Two weeks later, Mr Harris wrote to Minister Halligan to tell him a mobile cath lab had been approved for Waterford for a ‘specific period’.

Mr Harris made a personal commitment for another review to see what improvements had been made on Waterford waiting lists.

In June, Thomas Power, 40, died as an ambulance took him from University Hospital Waterford to Cork at the weekend, when the Waterford cath lab is closed.

His widow Bernadette told of her devastation at the time, which led to renewed calls for the situation to be changed in the south east.