A town the size of Monaghan should have acute medical services rather than patients having to travel long journeys on poor roads to avail of emergency care, a coroner said yesterday.
Co Louth coroner Ronan Maguire made his comments after an inquest into the death of a father of four who had to endure an almost 50-minute ambulance journey to Dundalk after suffering a heart attack just over a mile from Monaghan General Hospital. The hospital was off call at the time.
Philip Courtney (49), of Lackafin, Broomfield, suffered the attack in Monaghan town on May 29th last year. An ambulance crew was called at 11.17am and arrived six minutes later.
The staff began cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and left the scene at 11.35am. They arrived at Louth County Hospital in Dundalk 58 minutes after the emergency call.
Dr Olwyn Lynch said the man initially stabilised after treatment but remained deeply unconscious due to extensive brain damage. His condition deteriorated and he died on June 4th.
She said it was vital a coronary patient receive CPR within five minutes of a heart attack to prevent brain damage. Intubation was the best way of securing an air way and breathing, and that could have been performed at Monaghan Hospital's coronary care unit, which was between a mile and 1½ miles from where Mr Courtney took ill.
Mr Maguire returned a verdict of death by natural causes. He said he would write to the Health Service Executive to say a town the size of Monaghan should have acute medical services.