The single Cath Lab at University Hospital Waterford will be closed for at least three months.

It’s to allow maintenance work and equipment upgrading take place.

Waterford Sinn Fein TD David Cullinane received confirmation from a senior representative of the South/South Waterford Hospital Group who said discussions are ongoing between UWH and CUH on contingency plans.

It’s expected that the modular lab will be open 5 days a week however, all emergency cases may need to be carried out in Cork.

Deputy Cullinane said this could have been avoided if the Minister had listened and given the green light for a second Cath Lab two years ago.

“The upgrading of the single Cath Lab is necessary and has to happen. However, it will involve closing the Lab for over 3 months and leaving patients without a vital service for too long.

“A senior representative of the SSWHG has confirmed to me that the maintenance work will take at least 12 weeks and that discussions are ongoing between UHW and CUH on contingency plans. This will involve opening the Modular from 3 days a week to 5 days a week. It may also involve all PPCI (Emergency Cardiac Care) for UHW patients being carried out in Cork.

“This demonstrates again having one fully operational Lab is insufficient and creates a single point of failure. Once the single Lab is out of service patients are left without a service also. This could have been avoided if the Minister had listened to politicians and campaigners and delivered the second permanent Lab years ago.

“I am calling on hospital management and the SSWHG to communicate fully whatever contingency plan will be in place so that the public are fully informed as to what services will or will not be available at UHW while the works are being carried out.”

The South East Patient Advocacy Group (SEPAG) has described it as a sinister move adding it means UHW will not be capable of inserting stents for heart attack patients.

They’re calling on the SSWHG to immediately equip the modular cath lab currently on-site at UHW to enable it to carry out PPCI services in the intervening period.

Hilary O’Neill is the Chairperson of SEPAG “If the HSE fails to do this they are guilty of wilful neglect and they will knowingly be responsible for untold irreversible but preventable damage to people’s hearts or even death”.

SEPAG has been calling for a 24/7 service since 2012.

“There have been attempts to placate us in the past with cynical political moves every time we have called a protest but we have never once been promised the delivery. of 24/7” said Yvonne Cooney of SEPAG “and now we will have no service at all. This situation is absolutely intolerable”.