Erris ambulance services
Senator Duffy highlights serious ambulance cover problems in Erris after recent tragedies and says the area needs faster emergency response. He welcomes an additional ambulance for Castlebar but urges immediate delivery of improved services for the region.
Today I want to highlight the desperate need for improved ambulance services and resources in County Mayo and, in particular, the Erris region. It is something I highlighted about this time last year. At the time there were some notable improvements after it was highlighted but sadly over recent months there have been numerous instances that have been well highlighted nationally in relation to tragedies that have occurred in Belmullet and the Erris region. Sadly, lives were lost, and no ambulance was able to meet a patient who was gravely ill. The Erris area is a sparsely populated region, with a vibrant town centre like Belmullet, that needs to be treated as if it is twice the size in terms of population because of its geography and isolated nature. When I was meeting with groups in Belmullet on Saturday, the talk of the town was about the worry, fear and anxiety due to the under-resourcing of ambulance services. When I was in the post office in Barnatra, I met a lady wearing a back brace who had to wait over two hours for an ambulance to reach her. I also spoke with a retained firefighter, Leonard Shevlin, who had come on the scene of an accident. Thankfully a former Member of this House, Dr. Keith Swanick in Belmullet, was able to use his contacts to help to save a victim of a road traffic collision that had occurred. If it was not for that intervention, that life would have been lost because of the complexity of the injuries. I apologise; I thought I had another minute left.
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I call for immediate interventions. I welcome the fact that another ambulance is going to be allocated for Castlebar. We need that to be expedited and delivered for the people of Erris immediately. I acknowledge all those who have advocated for it. We need to do more to ensure a region like Erris, which is sparsely populated and rural, does not feel detached and undersupported in terms of these critical health services. I ask that those services be expedited and delivered for the people of the region.