A Dublin woman has said that she feels "helpless and terrified" after her pensioner mum's heart surgery was cancelled.
Jo-Anne Carthy's beloved mam Marie, 76, has been waiting for major surgery on her heart since March with the Mater Hospital in Dublin.
However, the Dublin woman's surgeries have repeatedly been cancelled with the most recent cancellation on Sunday.
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Speaking to Dublin Live, Marie's daughter Jo-Anne said that she is very worried about her mam's health, as she has been down as urgent since before Christmas.
She explained: "My mam is 76-years-old and she needs a double by-pass and a valve replacement, it's major surgery and she is also a diabetic so has to stop taking the medicine and fasting before surgery.
"In March she was ready for theatre literally due to go down for the surgery when we were told at 8'oclock that morning that the surgeon's car had broken down and the surgery was cancelled and that she had to go home.
"She’s on the waiting list as urgent over six months now, she went in through A&E this time fasting since Saturday and we were told on Sunday again that the surgery was cancelled."
She said that the hospital is "holding my mam's life in their hands" and that she is worried her mam could become seriously unwell.
She added: "My mam is urgent and top of the list, but what about the people who aren't urgent, what would happen to them? I feel like they're just waiting for her to collapse and be rushed in an ambulance. It's like a third world country and I feel so helpless, I'm terrified for her."
Marie has now been moved to the Mater private and her family are "hopeful" that she will get her operation on Thursday.
In a statement, a spokesman for the Mater Hospital told Dublin Live: "Due to the need to maintain and ensure patient confidentiality, the Mater Hospital does not comment on individual patient cases."
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