Hundreds of people have attended a demonstration in Waterford City calling for 24/7 cardiac services in the South East.

Clinicians and families of those affected by the lack of services spoke at the Hand on Heart Rally at Cathedral Square.

Vicky Phelan, who exposed the cervical cancer scandal also addressed the crowds. The Mooncoin native told WLR news that “at the end of the day my parents still live in the locality, if one of them has a heart attack they have to go to Cork – that’s the reality after 5 o’clock in the evening or at weekends. For me, I want to do whatever I can to help everybody, particularly in my case it’s for my parents – they’re at that age unfortunately.

The organisers of today’s event say they want equality for the South East. Vincent Kelly from Curraghduff in Waterford told WLR that they want to “keep the pressure on the politicians, the HSE, everyone to give us equality in the South East, to give us 24/7 cover the same as all other areas have”.