For the third time in two weeks, I raise with the Tánaiste and Minister for Health the closure of the cath lab in Sligo University Hospital. As the Minister will be aware, the lab is closing its doors today and we now have no service north of a line extending from Dublin to Galway. I wrote to the Minister almost two weeks ago asking for an emergency meeting with all four Deputies in the constituency and I am still awaiting a response to confirm that meeting will take place. The current service is a private one and it closes its doors today. What temporary service can be put in place? Can Sligo University Hospital be included in the national review of cardiac services? It is my understanding that it may not be included and we must have a commitment that it will be included. There has been a failure until now to provide a proper cath lab service in Sligo. I am asking that heart patients in the north west be able to access those life-saving treatments.

I would be more than happy to meet all of the Deputies in the constituency. The Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, and I met on this yesterday to see what could be done. We are aware that the mobile unit, which I am advised is not for interventional cardiology but for angiograms, is now gone. I was speaking with hospital management just yesterday on this exact issue and it has proposals in place for a cath lab, be it for diagnostics, intervention or both. Clinical views are required on that and we are waiting on the national review. The whole country is included in the review in terms of diagnostics and intervention. I would be more than happy to meet the Deputy and other Oireachtas Members to discuss what can be done.