A Western Health Board ambulance crew with a seriously ill patient on board had to wait 35 minutes for a replacement after the vehicle broke down on the way to hospital. Liamy Mac Nally reports.
The crew was en route from Achill when the ambulance stalled outside Mulranny, 20 miles from Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar. The ambulance has almost 240,000 miles on the clock.
A health board statement claimed the "patient's condition on hand was as was (sic) when patient was collected".
The incident occurred on January 2nd. The patient died in hospital the following day.
According to the SIPTU shop steward for the Castlebar ambulance base, Mr Martin Feeney, staff morale was very low over the ambulance replacement policy.
"Four of our eight ambulances need urgent replacing. Two of them are in the garage today. Most of our ambulances have over 150,000 miles on the clock."
He said a new ambulance delivered three weeks ago has been returned to the manufacturer because there was something wrong with it.
"We have fought through the union, but are told that the Department of Health is not giving money for ambulances. The ambulance problem is getting drastic."
Fine Gael leader and Mayo TD Mr Enda Kenny has called on the Western Health Board's chief executive officer, Dr Sheelagh Ryan, "to outline the board's policy regarding the replacement and upgrading of ambulance vehicles in the Castlebar area".