Local air ambulance service could be in place early next year
by Deirdre Verney Updated: Wednesday, 9th November, 2011 5:30pm
Athlone patients could be in Galway in 15 minutes
There are high hopes this week that an emergency air ambulance service for the Midlands and West could be in place by early next year, meaning patients in the Athlone area could be transferred to Galway in just 15 minutes.
Members of Roscommon Hospital Action Committee presented a detailed business plan on the provision of the service, estimated to cost €1 million a year, to Minister for Health Dr James Reilly at a meeting in Dublin last week, and they said the reaction to their proposals was very positive.
"We'd be confident that an air ambulance service will be put in place in the short-term," Chairman of Roscommon Hospital Action Committe John McDermott told the Westmeath Independent in the wake of the meeting.
"He (Minister) seemed to be committed to doing it.
It would be an air ambulance service for the Midlands and West for patients with severe trauma, heart attacks, basically life threatening situations," however, he stressed it is not a replacement for services which have been closed in the region but an improvement on what is there at present.
"It's badly needed and we have shown him it can be done. We're the only country in Europe without an air ambulance.
What we're talking about is having a patient in Athlone to Galway in 15 minutes or less than half an hour to Dublin.
Time is crucial in emergency situations," Mr McDermott pointed out, adding that the new air ambulance helicopter would be run through the existing ambulance services.
The group expect an announcement from the Minister in the next four weeks.
"We'd be hoping to have some service put in place by early next year.
Initially, it will be a daylight service but later on the plan is to extend it to night flights and a 24/7 service," the health campaigner said positively.
"The Minister did intimidate that he was open to it and we expect something in four weeks," he concluded.
