'Government can't run and they can't hide' - Major campaign announced for delivery of 24/7 cardiac care
Anthony Kelly, Mick Daniels, Konor Halpin, '24/7 South East Cardiac Care Campaign'. Photo: Joe Evans
It was revealed by the Waterford News & Star this week that University Hospital Waterford has completed the recruitment stage for weekend cardiac coverage, with a commencement date for the service expected to be announced in the coming days.
The announcement however leaves many still concerned that 24/7 has not yet been delivered.
Representatives from the ‘24/7 Southeast Cardiac Campaign’ have been active in the fight for this full 24/7 cover, and have revealed that their campaign is about to gather even more pace.
Campaign committee member, Mick Daniels, spoke with the News & Star this week regarding the recent announcement of seven day coverage, saying “It’s not 24/7 so it’s irrelevant":
“There are still people going to die in ambulances” he added, “and anything less than 24/7, the same that’s in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway, is absolute nonsense because Mary Butler and Michéal Martin in 2016 stood outside UHW holding a placard saying if Fianna Fáil get elected they will bring in 24/7 cardiac care.
“Here we are, nine years later and yet they still deny half a million people in the south east of Ireland this care.
He added: “This is not a development, this is another kick in the teeth. Anything less than 24/7 means that if you get a heart attack after eight o’clock in the evening, if you’re lucky enough to be put into an ambulance and make the journey to Cork, you might survive. That’s the reality.”
To date, the 24/7 Southeast Cardiac Campaign has conducted thousands of interviews with locals and bereaved families, and a TV ad was recently shot. It is the hope of the campaign' committee that this ad will be aired on national television.
The ad details the true story of a death which occurred during the transfer a man to Cork by ambulance following a heart attack.
It is available to view HERE.
Representatives from the campaign were out and about in Waterford City last week conducting additional interviews with concerned locals. Mr. Daniels said a significant number of people outlined that they had experienced the death of a loved one due to the lack of 24/7 coverage in Waterford.
The campaign is going to grow considerably in the coming weeks and months and will become mainstream, Mr. Daniels added.
“This is a matter of life and death and people are dying on their way to Cork leaving behind broken hearted families, and this new government is going to face a campaign the like of which will never have been seen before and they are going to be called out on this atrocity. We are going after these people.
“The plan is by going mainstream, it will become a discussion, people will talk about it and it will be raised in the Dáil. They can’t run and they can’t hide, that’s the idea. It is our belief that if they are forced to, they will relent and grant the half million people in the south east this healthcare."
As part of the campaign, there are plans to film weekly shows which will feature interviews and updates, and an official website will soon be launched where donations from the public can be made.
The funding for the mainstream campaign will mainly come from businesses in the region and a mass appeal to business's will soon begin, Mr. Daniels said.
“I have spoken to business owners about the campaign over the last twelve months and I have yet to meet a single one who will not contribute to funding the mainstream campaign and many members of the public offer to donate when we meet them on the street.
“Currently we do not take money and the campaign is being funded by a local business. A bank account is being set up by the committee members of the campaign to administer to the funding of the mainstream media campaign and our weekly shows will show exact details of all bank activity.”
The latest series of interviews which were conducted by the 24/7 Southeast Cardiac Campaign this week can be viewed HERE
