£6.6m cardiac unit opens at Morriston Hospital

The opening of a new £6.6 million cardiac unit at Swansea’s Morriston Hospital has been welcomed by Welsh Conservatives today.

Shadow Health Spokesperson, Angela Burns said that “sticking plaster solutions” to Wales’ cardiac crisis would no longer suffice, whilst South Wales West AM, Suzy Davies, warned Labour against over-centralising other services such as A&E.

Ms Davies said:

“The opening of this unit will be welcomed by local residents, and we now need to see substantial improvements in waiting times for cardiac surgery.

“In the past the Welsh Labour Government has been over-reliant on the independent sector to keep cardiac waits from spiralling out of control, and I hope that this unit has the knock-on effect of helping to attract and retain the best medical specialists.

“I’m pleased that action has finally been taken, and South Wales residents will hope that this is the first step towards significant improvements.

“However, the Welsh Government should guard against the temptation to over-centralise other services such as A&E.”

Shadow Health Spokesperson, Angela Burns, said:

“Previous Labour efforts to tackle this problem have been sticking plaster solutions, and we have long warned that this deeply ingrained problem has been costing patients lives.

“We are delighted to see this unit in Swansea open. Cardiac disease is one of Wales’ four biggest killers and so much of our nation’s health depends on how we tackle it.”