Urgent ambulance issue in County Roscommon raised in Dail for seventh time
Deputy Claire Kerrane said she will not stand over a sub-standard ambulance service in County Roscommon. File pic
Sinn Féin TD for Roscommon/Galway Claire Kerrane has told the Dáil that the people of Roscommon deserve what was promised to them in terms of 24/7 Rapid Response Vehicle cover for emergency calls in the county.
Kerrane secured a debate on the issue with the Minister of State in the Department of Health this week, her seventh time to raise the issue in the Dáil.
Speaking in the Dáil, Kerrane said: "Over the Christmas a constituent suffered an asthma attack, the Rapid Response Vehicle attended and the Advanced Paramedic saved his life. No maybe, no question, his life was saved.
"If this call came in on a Monday night, the Rapid Response Vehicle in Roscommon is parked up 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. and unavailable to the county. I believe this is saving the National Ambulance Service a few pound a week as they stopped paying overtime to cover this shift, as they had been. This is unacceptable.
"If a Paramedic, instead of an Advanced Paramedic attended the scene of the asthma attack, they would not have been able to administer IV Steroids, IV Magnesium Sulphate, IV Paracetamol or IV Antibiotics, all needed in such a case.
"In the case of asthma attack, sepsis, cardiac arrest and heart attack, all sadly common, there is no comparison to what an Advanced Paramedic can do in saving a life and this is what the people of Roscommon are being left without. This is despite a promise made for 24/7 Advanced Paramedic cover on the Rapid Response Vehicle 24/7. This promise was made by Fine Gael and the HSE in 2011 when the A&E closed and it is being broken by the Government and the HSE.
"In Nenagh and Ennis, the National Ambulance Service have issued an Action Card to protect the Rapid Response Vehicle, this Action Card should be in place in County Roscommon and I believe if it was it would fill the two vacancies on the Advanced Paramedic roster as it would give confidence that the Advanced Paramedic would be left on the Rapid Response Vehicle. The people of County Roscommon lost their A&E just like Nenagh and Ennis did, they deserve the same guarantees.
"There are two issues here - the Rapid Response Vehicle is being parked up a night a week for 12 hours and a Paramedic is being used on the Vehicle when it should be covered by an Advanced Paramedic only.
"I will not stand over a sub-standard ambulance service in my home county and the county I represent and I will not stop raising this until 24/7 cover is restored."
