Moving Limerick heart attack patients to Galway will lead to ‘disasters’
Consultant Brendan Meaney said the new policy to bypass the Mid-Western Regional Hospital at weekends and out of hours was taken by decision-makers at national level.
He said the facilities and expert medical staff were available to provide a 24/7 service in Limerick, but ancillary nursing and radiography staff are not available.
“Limerick is the busiest heart unit in the country for heart attacks. We treat more heart attacks in Limerick [Mid-Western[ Regional than any other hospital in the country. There was some discussion about a year ago about going 24/7. We have a cardiologist available to go 24/7.
“There is a cardiologist on call 24/7. The only extra facilities we would need to go 24/7 would be ancillary staff in terms of radiographers and nurses. We have been in discussions and the HSE has not provided staff. The idea of going up to Galway to me seems unsafe, unrealistic, and will result in disasters.”
A spokesman for the HSE said treatment for a specific type of heart attack — STEMI — is currently provided at the Mid-Western Regional, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
All other heart attack and cardiac arrest patients, he said, were dealt with 24/7 in Limerick.
“The number of patients requiring this [STEMI] service out of hours in the Mid-West each year is approximately 58. It is anticipated that Limerick will become a 24-hour centre for these patients within the next few weeks as the programme is rolled out throughout the country.”
Preparatory work has been in train for several months in accordance with national guidelines. The two centres for STEMI patients in the West of Ireland will be Galway University Hospital (which went live on Oct 1) and the Mid-Western Regional Hospital.
Cardiology services in Limerick have expanded greatly in recent years. The hospital has a 24/7 coronary care unit and a cardiologist on call round the clock. The care unit and day cardiology services will soon move to a new critical care block.
