Maguire urges cath lab as a priority
COUNCILLOR Sinead Maguire has called on Health Minister Simon Harris to approve and prioritise the installation of a cardiac catheterisation laboratory for Sligo University Hospital without delay.
A permanent cath lab would allow cardiac patients to be treated with the highest quality care in Sligo without need to transfer to other hospitals in Galway and Dublin. Approval to establish a cath lab was given the go-ahead more than ten years ago and was subsequently withdrawn during the economic down-turn.
Cllr Maguire said: “The cost to the State of transferring approximately 550 inpatients in Sligo University Hospital to Dublin or Galway for cardiology procedures has been a staggering €14.1 million over 16 years. This, together with the €3.6million cost of renting the visiting lab over that period makes no sense for the tax-payer or the patient. As long as Sligo UH does not have a cath lab, cardiac provision for the people of the Northwest will be sub-optimal and money will be wasted.
“How much of this €17.7million could have been saved by the provision of a local cath lab in Sligo? There is a further negative knock-on effect of not having a permanent cath lab at Sligo UH. Consultant Physician/Cardiologist at Sligo UH, Dr. Donal Murray, has explained that without such a lab at the hospital, high quality candidates are not attracted to the vacant post of Consultant Cardiologist. This also puts a stress on service provision when the necessary personnel cannot be recruited and posts remain unfilled,” she explained.
“I am asking the Minister for Health to take a personal interest in ensuring that the National Review of the Specialist Cardiac Services underway re-examines the case for Sligo as a priority.
“The clinical need is there, evidenced by the provision of part-time service and the numbers of patients being transferred to other hospitals for treatment. Waterford University Hospital was successful in getting approval based on clinical need in September 2018,” Cllr Maguire added. A series of reports over the years, including a 2013 report recommended the establishment of a laboratory in Sligo to complement the primary PCI service in Derry. This has since been established for Derry, while Sligo still waits.