Christmas closure for cardiac clinic

A CHEST pain clinic set up to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac patients at Cork University Hospital is to close over Christmas.

Yesterday, politicians blamed HSE cutbacks on the temporary loss of a service which treated 893 patients last year.

Labour TD Ciarán Lynch said there could be no clinical justification for the closure of a life-saving clinic over the period.

“The clinic was set up to fast track patients with chest pain and other cardiac-related illness, away from the turmoil of the A&E. Now these patients will have no option but to go to A&E,” said Mr Lynch.

He also claimed local GPs were not informed of the clinic’s closure — beginning today and continuing until January 7 — but had to rely on a letter faxed out by concerned clinic staff to GP practices in the city.

Fine Gael health spokesman Dr James Reilly said it was another example of compromising patient safety “in order to balance the HSE budget” at a time when figures from the HSE South suggested a €9m underspend of part of its 2007 budget.

“This is exactly the kind of service that should not be targeted for cuts,” said Dr Reilly. “During the Christmas period and into the new year, GPs will not now be able to refer patients who may be presenting with serious heart symptoms to the clinic, which could result in a dangerous delay.”

The HSE South rejected the claim that it had underspent this year’s budget by €9m, and said it had in fact overspent by 16million. It said the €9m underspend figure presented in the Dáil was “not accurate as it represents just one element of the overall budget for the former Southern Health Board and not the overall financial position for the region”.

The statement said the overall spend for the region comprised three elements; €9m underspend on the gross expenditure of the statutory sector (former health board hospitals and community services), €15m overspend on the gross expenditure of the voluntary hospitals in the board and €10m income shortfall in the board, both statutory and voluntary, creating an overspend of €16m.

A HSE South spokeswoman said the overspend would not have a negative impact “as the shortfall will be addressed by an additional €16m cash funding”. She said this money would come from Government.

Meanwhile, Cork South West Senator Jerry Buttimer said he intends to seek an adjournment debate on the matter in the Seanad next week.