The HSE insists Limerick Regional Hospital will continue have round the clock care for patients who present with cardiac arrest.
It’s been reacting to claims by one of the State’s leading consultant cardiologists Dr Brendan Meany who insists lives are being put at risk by a disastrous policy to transport out-of-hours heart attack patients from Limerick to hospital in Galway.
Earlier this month a policy was implemented by the HSE hereby on weekends and after 5pm on weekdays, ambulance crews have been instructed to bring some cardiac patients to University College Hospital in Galway instead of the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick.
However the HSE has stated that this is for a specific type of heart attack (ST elevation MI) with the numbers of patients requiring this severe out of hours in the Mid West each year is approximately 58.
It added that its currently provided at Dooradoyle Monday to Friday 8 to 5 and will soon be rolled out at Limerick Regional on a 24 hours bases