A motion calling for the establishment of a group to govern University Hospital Waterford and neighbouring hospitals in the region has been passed unanimously by Waterford Cllrs.
Proposed by Independent Cllr Mary Roche, it seeks to see an Integrated Care Organisation for the South East to be formed under Sláintecare.
The motion requested: "That Waterford City & County Council calls on the Government and the Minister for Health to establish a South East based Regional Integrated Care Organisation (RICO) under Sláintecare with appropriate levels of population-based funding and governance to function in its own right serving the 600,000 people of the South East Region and not under the control of Cork or Dublin groupings."
Currently, University Hospital Waterford and Tipperary University Hospital are governed by the South/SouthWest Hospital Group, while St Luke's in Kilkenny is under the Ireland East Hospital Group.
However, under proposals announced in 2019 connected to Sláintecare, University Hospital Waterford will no longer be part of the South/South West group and will instead develop a partnership with St Vincent's in Dublin.
Speaking at yesterday's plenary meeting of Waterford Council, Mary Roche who put forward the motion said under the current system hospitals in the region have 'little power'.
"Staffing levels at University Hospital Waterford are way below those of Cork Hospitals and it's not just an issue here in Waterford - it impacts other hospitals in the South East.
"Despite the €190m Budget for the hospital [UHW], it has virtually zero discretion in how it can be spent on clinical services and they cannot be expanded or delivered due to interference -as I have been informed - from Cork," Cllr Roche said.
Southeastern Healthboard
Cllr Roche went on to say that capital development at UHW has been close to 'non-existent' since the South/SouthWest Hospital Group took over from the South Eastern Healthboard in 2005.
"Since the abolition of the old South Eastern Healthboard UHW and its regional specialities have been administered from Cork and capital development has been non-existent in comparison to Cork Hospitals.
"The public will well remember the case for the second cath lab which we had to march on the streets for, the mortuary which became a huge debacle and the €6m that had to be raised for the palliative care unit," Cllr Roche said.
Labour Cllr Seamus Ryan was the former Chair of the now disbanded South Eastern Health Board and seconded the motion.
"I remember meeting with Micheál Martin at the time the then Minister for Health and pointing out to him - as did the other ten chairpersons that all he succeeded in doing at that time was adding an extra layer of bureaucracy by setting up the HSE," Cllr Ryan said.
Course of action
Following unanimous support by elected representatives on Waterford City and County Council, Mayor Joe Kelly discussed what the next step for this motion will be.
It was agreed that a letter would be written to the government, relevant ministers, Waterford TDs and Kilkenny, Wexford, Tipperary and Carlow County Councils calling for the idea to be considered and supported.
Mayor of Waterford City and Council Council Joe Kelly strongly supported the motion, and after the course of action was discussed he said.
"We can write to everybody I mean we've taken it sitting down in this county and this region for far too long and it's time that we stood up," Cllr Kelly concluded.
