LOCATION OF CATH LABS

THE cath lab in Waterford is the only one in the country that does not offer 24/7 cardiac access cover. It opens from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, leaving the Southeast region with no cardiac cover for 16 hours in every 24. The region’s cardiac waiting list is the longest in the country.

The Acute Coronary Syndrome Protocol calls for intervention within 90 minutes of the onset of chest pain. However, in parts of the southeast the journey time could be over 120 minutes. The Herity Report admits some areas in the south east are outside of the 90-minute ideal, but that helicopters can fill in.

From a place like Belderig in Co. Mayo, the travel time is about 144 minutes to the cath lab at Galway University Hospital. From Sligo town, it’s just over 120 minutes.