Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Shutterstock/megaflopp

Southeast cardiac service 'Medical argument and simple logic are being ignored'

Health Minister Simon Harris needs to show control of his department seniors, writes Matt Shanahan.

THE USE OF Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 in past days to transfer a heart attack patient from University Hospital Waterford (UHW) to Cork University Hospital yet again demonstrates the need for a 24/7 cardiac service in the southeast region.

The transfer times alone are far in excess of the clinical standard, given the need for aircraft re-tasking and the requirement to access non hospital campus landing sites due to the aircraft size. This contributes to excessive treatment delay and suboptimal health outcomes.

The contracted Coast Guard helicopter service (5 Sikorsky S-92s) costs the state 68 million euro annually – 13.6 million each. This figure rises with a higher volume of hospital transfer flights requested.

Air and sea rescue service is not always on station

It also means a service tasked for air and sea rescue is not on station in the southeast when charged with hospital patient transfers, a sobering thought given summer holiday season and the increased activity in water based leisure pursuits.

The additional running cost of a 24/7 Regional Cardiac Care Service at UHW has been assessed at 2.9 million per annum. When one takes into account the additional fee income possible for treating private insured people who presently bypass the capacity constrained service at UHW, the reduced cost of bed days for those presently waiting in hospital to access the Waterford Cath Lab and the defrayed costs of displaced ambulance and medical personnel charged with escorting patient transfers, that figure drops significantly.

Yet the Department of Health and the Minister are intent on further reviews including a national review of PPCI (emergency heart attack intervention) before any decision or action can be taken to expand the southeast regional service.

Simple logic has been deliberately ignored

Medical based argument, unbiased scientific/ economic analysis and simple logic have deliberately been ignored in this case assessment to date. Health Equality For the South East (HEFSE) believes the only other plausible reason for undermining the case for the southeast region’s service need and/ or possibly subverting the review outcome is money, that is another’s financial self interest.

Regional and national politicians who persist in ignoring the simple facts bolstering the case for a 24/7 South East Cardiac Care service are complicit in allowing this subversion continue in HEFSE’s opinion. Over coming weeks and months, with the activity drive to commence the recently announced reviews, the identities and motivations of those driving the agenda will hopefully become clearer. The identities of those who stand to gain most and benefit from another potentially negative review outcome for a southeast regional 24/7 Cardiac Service certainly will.

Health Minister Simon Harris having declared himself “referee” in this new review game needs to show clear leadership and control of his department seniors by demonstrating that he not alone understand the rules by which this game is to be played, but that he also is prepared to “cry foul” in the event of an inaccurate score.

Many lives and political careers depend on it.

Matt Shanahan is PRO for Health Equality For the South East.

Opinion: ‘Just one week after banning fracking, we started drilling for oil’>

Column: ‘There’s nothing for me in Kerry, no job to move home for’>

Voices

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
6 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute James Pelow
    Favourite James Pelow
    Report
    Oct 25th 2021, 12:14 AM

    Can we please stop propagating the lies of the English media? Brexit did the damage, not the protocol.

    368
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Vonvonic
    Favourite Vonvonic
    Report
    Oct 25th 2021, 6:42 AM

    @James Pelow: Very well said. They’re actually using it as a distraction. And it’s drawing us into something that has nothing to do with us. Brexit is the problem. End of story.

    163
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Colm A. Corcoran
    Favourite Colm A. Corcoran
    Report
    Oct 25th 2021, 7:00 AM

    You can’t hold a poll asking people if they think the Protocol is good for Northern Ireland without clarifying what the alternative is.

    That’s like asking a child if they think the settlement that their parents agreed to after divorce is good.

    86
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Oisín Dunne
    Favourite Oisín Dunne
    Report
    Oct 25th 2021, 8:40 AM

    Let’s be clear… article 16 does not end the protocol. It can suspend a part of it for a short period of time. When the UK says it will trigger A16, call it out for what they want to do….they want to scrap it and force a border on the island of Ireland or a border between Ireland and EU. That’s their plan and I believe it’s been the plan all along. This mess has been made by the UK and the protocol is a plaster. The GB companies that send those goods that will never end up back in the EU (including ROI) need to be better catered for. The issue is that there is no trust between the UK and EU as, so far, the UK hasn’t implemented main parts of the protocol so all at risk goods must be considered guilty until proven innocent.

    77
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Stephen Campbell
    Favourite Stephen Campbell
    Report
    Oct 25th 2021, 10:08 AM

    Ok theJournal…. Time to correct your headlines… “Is Brexit bad or good for firms in Northern Ireland?”

    The protocol is a workaround to the main issue, Brexit..

    52
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gerard
    Favourite Gerard
    Report
    Oct 25th 2021, 8:54 AM

    While I’ve no doubt it has caused some legitimate disruption for businesses heavily linked to GB, how did the study take into account costs (for consultancy etc) that would’ve been incurred without the procotol because they also trade with the EU?

    Or how did it take into account all the paperwork NI businesses save because they can trade with the Republic and the rest of the EU freely?

    All these analyses seem to assume that trade with Ireland was either insignificant, or its continuity was a a given (neither of these are true) and that any disruption with GB is a cost without any quantifiable benefit (again not true).

    44
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Vectravi
    Favourite John Vectravi
    Report
    Oct 25th 2021, 10:50 AM

    It’s not the protocol that’s not working. It’s brexit that’s not working.

    34
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute lelookcoco
    Favourite lelookcoco
    Report
    Oct 25th 2021, 11:09 AM

    How dare the EU break away from the United Kingdom. They’ve made things very difficult for everyone, especially the Brits!

    29
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Sullivan
    Favourite John Sullivan
    Report
    Oct 25th 2021, 3:22 PM

    By leaving the CU and SM and going for a Sharia Brexit GB turned itself into a legal and regulatory Kaliningrad. Their call-their choice…If they hadn’t CHOSEN that there would be no protocol. They want a hard border in IRL or IRL out the the EU-they will get neither but what they will get is humiliation.

    12
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute andrew
    Favourite andrew
    Report
    Oct 25th 2021, 10:38 PM

    It is improving trade between north and south.

    4
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds