Question Time: Health, Social Services and Public Safety Tuesday 03 December 2013
Health
Minister, Edwin Poots, was asked about the benefits of his community
resuscitation strategy during today’s Question
Time. The Minister declared that such a strategy will result in the
increase of survival rates for those who suffer an out of hospital cardiac arrest.
Indeed areas with a higher concentration of people trained in Emergency Life
Support (ELS) skills possess a higher survival rate of such cardiac arrests. However
more people need to be trained in these skills and “the challenge is to achieve
as much as possible with the resources that are available”. For every minute without treatment after a
heart attack the chances of survival decrease by 10%. In addition, more people
need to know where they can access one of the 1000 automated external
defibrillators located around the country and need trained in how to use
them. The education system and local sports clubs could be effective avenues
for increasing awareness and knowledge.
Maeve
McLaughlin then raised concerns over the situation regarding the availability
of paediatric cardiac surgery in Northern Ireland. There has been concern ever since
the August 2012 HSCB report
of the external review of paediatric
congenital cardiac services (PCCS) in Northern Ireland. The working group
established in the wake of the report recommended that surgery be made available in Dublin with
investment in new cardiology facilities being made in Belfast. The Minister
said that he expects to deliver news very soon and that we “shouldn’t
underestimate how difficult this process has been and the challenges involved”.
As “it is not feasible for Northern Ireland to have a standalone service” it is
important that we retain some sort of service that is safe and sustainable. Negotiations are ongoing with the Republic of Ireland’s Minister for
Health, Dr James Reilly TD – he acknowledged that it’s a big ask of the
surgeons in Dublin and they deserve our respect with any decision that they
make.
As well as answering a round of topical questions, Mr Poots also answered Members queries regarding
Ward Five North of the Belfast City Hospital, the risks involved with
hereditary high levels of cholesterol and the efforts being made to reduce
mortality rates due to circulatory disease.
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