A 29-year-old Kerry man waiting for a lung transplant will be operated on as soon as suitable organs become available, a spokeswoman for Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester said this evening.
The spokeswoman for the South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust, which manages Wythenshawe, said: "Mr Burke is on our waiting list for a lung transplant. We are not able to comment on the timing of the operation because it depends on a suitable organ being made available," she said.
She further added that the hospital was not restricted to only Irish-donated lungs for Cystic Fibrosis sufferer Mr Billy Burke.
Earlier today more than 5,000 protesters took to the streets of a small Co Kerry town today in a last-ditch appeal to Government to cut through the red tape they claim is preventing an urgent lung transplant in the UK.
Supporters of Mr BBurke brought his home town of Killorglin to a standstill as they called on the Minister for Health Mr Martin to intervene in his case and make donated Irish lungs available for a life-saving operation.
The 29-year-old, who is on oxygen 24 hours a day, has been refused a transplant by the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, which is contracted to carry out all Irish lung transplants.
Despite its refusal to operate on Mr Burke on medical grounds, Wythenshawe has agreed to carry out the procedure.