Cardiac surgery costs criticised

Andrew Dougal says the same money could be put into services here

NI Chest, Heart and Stroke has criticised the Department of Health over cardiac surgery costs.

It has emerged that the cost of sending people outside Northern Ireland for heart operations has more than tripled in the past three years.

The Department of Health says spending almost £7m on the service helps to keep waiting lists down.

NICHS Chief Executive Andrew Dougal said the money should go to improving services in Northern Ireland.

"People can continue to have operations across the water in the short-term," he said.

"But we want to see that money invested in producing additional jobs in the Royal Victoria Hospital so that in three years time everybody who needs an operation for their heart will have that in Northern Ireland."

BBC Northern Ireland Health Correspondent Marie-Louise Connolly said that it was an "age-old argument about whether to send people away to get operations and keep the lists down or invest in local services, which could mean longer waits until they have increased".

She said that the cost of a heart operation in England was £14,000 and £5,000 more in the Republic of Ireland, with critics saying too much was being spent on travel and hotel fees for families.

"Health Minister Michael McGimpsey plans for Northern Ireland to be self-sufficient in cardiac services by 2013, but that depends on the availability of additional funding," she added.