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RollingNews.ie

Crowds gather at Waterford hospital after man dies while being transferred to Cork

A 40-year-old man from Waterford died while being transported in an ambulance to a hospital in Cork.

CROWDS HAVE BEEN gathering outside Waterford University Hospital this evening, to demand that a cath lab for the region be provided as a matter of urgency.

The calls for a cath lab, or cardiac unit, have been an ongoing issue in Waterford – and was an election promise given by Minister of State and local TD John Halligan.

The debate has flared up again this week after Thomas Power (40) died while being transported  in an ambulance from the Waterford hospital to Cork.

Although the space and equipment was available at the Waterford unit, a transfer was necessary due to staff shortages.

His family said that Thomas was “a healthy man”, so they weren’t initially too concerned. He was recently married and his wife is expecting a child.

Locals are gathering this evening in memory of Thomas, and to ask for the immediate resources to prevent this happening again.

The government promised to deliver on a mobile cath lab for Waterford before the end of the year.

Read: Family calls for improved cardiac services at Waterford after man dies during ambulance transfer

Read: Halligan urges Fianna Fáil to call election after his mobile cath lab deal criticised

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40 Comments
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    Mute Mary Murphy
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 7:42 PM

    Where is John Halligan?????

    262
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    Mute John Scott
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 8:10 PM

    @Mary Murphy: Looking after himself . Another wast of votes same as rest of independents

    176
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    Mute TractorPat
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 8:30 PM

    @Mary Murphy: Johnny Halligan couldn’t give a fiddlers now. He has his TD wage and future pension. Feet up time.

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    Mute Bilbo Baggins
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 8:43 PM

    @TractorPat: I wouldn’t be letting Deasy away with it either, don’t get me wrong I voted for Halligan and the ball is in his court now to stand up. But Deasy has been in government for over 6 years now haven’t heard a word from him.

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    Mute Paddythewatersprite
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 9:53 PM

    @Bilbo Baggins: Deasy has apparently come out in support of the flawed Herrity report. So much for FG representation in Waterford.

    24
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    Mute Bilbo Baggins
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 11:59 PM

    @Paddythewatersprite: Yeh that sounds about right!

    7
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    Mute Tony Skillington
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 7:52 PM

    This kind of anger is needed…the polite protests don’t work anymore..from Harney to O’Reilly to Leo..we have been chronically left down everytime. It’s time to get real about this and start making the well paid well suited in Leinster house a lot more uncomfortable

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    Mute Kerry Blake
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 7:56 PM

    Third world country regarding medical services…..

    161
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    Mute Eyepopper
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 7:43 PM

    I’m sure Halligan will resign from his ministry in principle, after all it was a cornerstone of his election campaign…. or maybe the sweet swill is too hard to turn away once you get your snout in the trough.

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    Mute Tony Daly
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 7:44 PM

    What is the value of a young human life?

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    Mute George Salter
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 8:19 PM

    @Tony Daly: 380,000

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    Mute cpitom
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 8:09 PM

    Should the protest not be about staffing the current lab 24/7 as opposed to looking for a second which will also only be available Mon – Fri 8.30 to 5.00 ??

    107
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    Mute Paddythewatersprite
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 9:43 PM

    @cpitom: No. Second cath lab will be for emergencies, patients who present like Tom Power did on a sunday, or any time outside normal hours who need immediate treatment to save their life. To explain it better. With one cath lab, if someone is in the middle of getting routine or scheduled treatment, they can’t stop the procedure for an emergencey. Second cath lab is to deal with emergencies as they present. Even the mobile Cath Lab isn’t going to address the problem, just waiting list for assessment and not treatment.

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    Mute Leah Burgess
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 7:44 PM

    No sign of Mary Butler either

    102
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    Mute Thomas Meaney
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 8:01 PM

    This man’s death goes well well well beyond a national scandal. To listen to his sister on liveline last Monday was heartbreaking. She kept asking why why why. Why was he dead it was so unnecessary. He shouldn’t be dead he need not be dead. A disgrace beyond words

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    Mute ray.farrelly
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 8:08 PM

    FG. Cannot blame the last government on this. Shame on them.

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    Mute ciaran kehoe
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 9:02 PM

    Terrible it takes a death to highlight this. Waterford has it bad but we in Wexford have no chance with either having to travel to Waterford hoping there is no traffic jam in New Ross or Dublin via the giant car park called the M50. Health service in this country is a joke but you can bet if a politician or their pals needed emergency care they would get it

    71
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    Mute Funfair
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 8:39 PM

    If Government wont put in the new lab ot servive the existing one 24/7 why not put an air ambulance or use the search and rescue helicopter to service the hospital and cut the transfer times to Cork in half. Two hour road trip by ambulance is obviously too long.

    58
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    Mute Leah Burgess
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 8:42 PM

    @Funfair: Helicopter can’t travel in fog / bad weather

    38
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    Mute Leah Burgess
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 8:47 PM

    @Funfair: Forgot to add there’s no helipad in waterford or cork

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    Mute Funfair
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 9:47 PM

    @Leah Burgess: Leah the bad weather conditions would effect it however the helipad wouldn’t cost the earth I’m sure both have a car park they could keep clear at weekends as it’s only weekends they transfer..

    4
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    Mute Paddythewatersprite
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 9:52 PM

    @Leah Burgess: There is a helipad in Waterford, but it’s too small for 117 to land. 117 has to land in the rugby club feild beside the hospital, then patients are ambulanced to or from there. Fine modern set-up!

    17
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    Mute Leah Burgess
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 9:56 PM

    @Funfair: €1.8m budget for helipad in cork. The carpark at the front is for staff and the rest of the place is usually packed and not suitable for a coastguard helicopter. Parking is a joke for patients as it is.

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    Mute Bilbo Baggins
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    Jun 24th 2017, 12:02 AM

    @Leah Burgess: Leah you are well aware they land in the rugby pitch beside UHW. Helipad isn’t really the point. Same for Cork. Nor is the weather.

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    Mute Noel
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 10:10 PM

    Government gets €3.4 billion for selling part stake in AIB after taxpayers bailing it out and it is going to be put in the black hole to pay of national debt on instructions of EU ??

    35
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    Mute Brian O Reilly
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 8:10 PM

    James Reilly was the name of the Minister not “O Reilly “it’s trivial I know but he was such a smug article,I would deny any connection.

    33
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    Mute Boyne Sharky
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 9:59 PM

    This has to stop. Either this country, and by that I mean everyone in it too, is prepared to invest in our Health Service, and that means increasing wages for the staff working in it to retain and attract top class front line staff, or they’re not. If the answer isn’t yes then don’t bother complaining.

    17
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    Mute Eyepopper
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 10:13 PM

    @Boyne Sharky: yeah, its not as if the hse is riddled with middle management, waste and outdated, inefficient work practises.

    Its also not as if the ministry for health is more an opportunity for careerist politicians to build their CV than motivated by improving the service offered by the HSE.

    27
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    Mute Boyne Sharky
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 10:38 PM

    @Eyepopper: And it’s not like we’re currently training our nurses and doctors to the highest standard – only to export them to other countries, I’m sure they’re grateful. It’s not like we’re importing nurses and doctors from Third World countries to such a level that our Health Service is now dependent upon them.
    Yes there are some useless middle managers, as there are in any organisation, but also a lot of good ones who get no credit.
    I don’t think anyone would disagree with you that there hasn’t been a Minister for Health who has achieved anything of significance in decades, the job is a poisoned chalice.
    Unless we have significant investment in the Health Service, with technology etc. then nothing will change, most hospitals still have the same practices now that they had 20 and 30 years ago, technology hasn’t reached them yet. They haven’t even been dragged into the 20th century never mind the 21st century.

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    Mute Bilbo Baggins
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    Jun 24th 2017, 12:25 AM

    @Boyne Sharky: What will throwing money down a hole do? It’s well documented that we have one of the top funded health systems in the OECD and we receive the poorest return on that investment. We spend close on 30% of our gross expenditure on health and this is what we have to show for it? I pay over 25% of my income on paye income on taxes, that’s not to mention Vat, customs, excise, home, motor, and various ‘levies’ which combined probably take another 30% of the take home? Why should we just shut up and pay more???

    8
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    Mute Paul Kelly
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    Jun 24th 2017, 7:09 AM

    “Although the space and equipment was available at the Waterford unit, a transfer was necessary due to staff shortages.”

    The Journal getting its facts wrong again,

    The cath lab is closed on the Weekend because the HSE will not fund it.
    Nothing to do with “staff shortages”

    14
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    Mute Setrakian
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    Jun 23rd 2017, 11:45 PM

    No sign of the usual pro FG trolls / fraperoom ar%eholes on this story – the truth hurts. FF FG – ba$tards.

    19
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