A Mayo TD has highlighted the ongoing and well documented crisis in ambulance cover in Erris.
Speaking during Leaders’ Question this week, Deputy Mary Lou McDonald raised the case of 68-year old Erris man Stephen Lavelle, who died earlier this month after multiple failed attempts to call an ambulance, with his family forced to carry him to a car to make the 56-mile journey to Mayo University Hospital.
Erris based Sinn Fein TD Rose Conway-Walsh also highlighted the case on Midwest Radio’s Tommy Marren Show yesterday.
Fine Gael’s Keira Keogh says this heartbreaking loss has once again highlighted the ongoing crisis in ambulance cover in Erris.
Deputy Keogh says It is an issue that has existed for years and one that local retained firefighters, GPs and paramedics have consistently warned us about.
On 29th December, Deputy Keogh says she wrote to the Minister for Health and the HSE to outline serious concerns about the lack of available ambulances in the Erris area and the unacceptable delays being experienced during emergencies.
That correspondence detailed a deeply traumatic incident earlier in December where no ambulance was available for a critically injured young adult, forcing firefighters and local doctors to improvise life-saving responses while waiting for resources to be reactivated.
Deputy Keogh has this lunchtime being giving more details to Midwest Radio’s Michael D. McAndrew.
