A payment dispute between the HSE West and perfusionists at University Hospital Galway’s cardiology department could lead to “serious disruption” of cardiac surgery services if it escalates, the chairperson of the HSE West’s regional health forum warned this week.
Urging the health authority to resolve the issue immediately, Cllr Padraic Conneely claimed the amount owed to these three members of the cardio-thoracic team - who operate heart-lung machines during cardiac surgery - was no more than €70,000 in total and had been an issue for the past year and a half.
“Perfusionists are highly qualified - they are trained in England - and are much sought after health professionals. Heart surgery cannot take place without their presence,” says the Fine Gael councillor.
“They have a technical role in cardiac surgery and procedures cannot proceed without their technical assistance. As there are only three perfusionists employed at UHG they have a heavy workload and with increased cardiac surgery [being carried out], which in most cases are emergencies, a perfusionist often works long hours and is always on emergency call.”
However, they are not being financially rewarded for the long hours they are required to work,” he alleges.
“I understand there is an outstanding payment of no more than €70,000 due to them and the HSE is refusing to acknowledge these payments,” claims the former city mayor.
“As cardiac surgery is vital for UHG and the west of Ireland it is a matter of extreme urgency that this matter is resolved immediately. Cardiac surgery is too important and its nature is often an emergency that every effort should be made by the HSE to resolve the financial difficulty with the perfusionist grade and that UHG continue this vital cardiac surgery.
“The cardiology department was established at UHG over 12 years ago and is now recognised as a major cardiological hospital in the west. Prior to the establishment of the unit patients who required heart surgery had to travel to Dublin for it.”
At the time of going to press the HSE West had not issued a comment on the matter when requested to do so by this newspaper.
