Teenager delivers heart surgery petition

Published Tuesday, 11 September 2012
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A 15-year-old who suffers serious heart problems has handed over a petition to Health Minister Edwin Poots to save children's heart surgery at the Royal Hospital.

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Eoin Taylor, who suffers from a rare heart condition, launched an online petition just over three weeks ago - calling for the service to be saved.

He hoped to get a few hundred signatures - but more than 14,000 people have signed up to the cause.

"I really underestimated the public," he told UTV.

The Londonderry teen said he was "lucky to be here" and credited the treatment he received at the Royal for his survival.

I think that it's unfair that other people won't be able to get the same chance that I had.

Eoin Taylor

A review carried out earlier this year concluded that the current level of services was not sustainable at the Royal.

Mr Poots has asked the Health and Social Care Board to establish a working group to examine the future of children's cardiac services at the hospital.

It is expected to report back ahead of a public consultation on the issue getting underway next month.

Mr Poots told MLAs on Tuesday that he wanted people to benefit from the best possible treatment.

He said the outcome would be the result of a "well balanced decision"

"Families do want to have something which is local but at the same time they want a service which is of the highest order and that is something that we want to achieve at the moment and taken the recommendation is that we travel to England from the expert panel," he explained.

"We need to be absolutely certain that we're not taking people to a service which is less than we would expect and less than they would get in England," he said.

Eoin's petition follows the start of a series of public meetings organised by Children's Heartbeat Trust to rally support for the service to be saved.

The consultation document, completed earlier this year, recognised the repercussions of losing services in Belfast.

Eoin is hoping that this, coupled with the public support he has garnered so far, will be enough to secure the future of children's cardiac services at the Royal.

The consultation on the children's cardiac service will last three months. The minister is expected to take a decision on the issue early next year.

© UTV News
Comments Comments
2 Comments
jonathan nixon in Derry wrote (248 days ago):
its over 22000 member now
Chelsea in Newtownards wrote (253 days ago):
So good to see that so many people have signed this petition ... But also so many more names are needed! Surely heart surgery should not be closed down but enhanced here, because only 90 operations where performed here it's going to close so what happens to those 90 people, they have to travel to Birmingham or Dublin .... This could be the matter of life or death! Having a cousin who will turn 3 in November that attends this clinic it is very close to my heart ... He had to travel to Birmingham for his second operation about 2years ago and it was horrible for his parents and all family members! Enhance this clinic not close it down!!
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