Ambulance staff have been instructed to surpass the emergency department of Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe for trauma patients according to Fianna Fáil TD for Roscommon/Galway Eugene Murphy.
Under new protocol measures by the HSE, trauma patients will be transported to the nearest ‘appropriate’ emergency department like the University College Hospital, Galway and the Midland Hospital Tullamore instead.
Deputy Murphy explained that this is an attempt to downgrade the services at Portiuncula Hospital and will mean the ambulances will have a longer turnaround time to Galway as opposed to the closer Portiuncula Hospital.
Especially with the serious issue of traffic congestion in Galway this poses great concern for the public, commented Mr Deputy.
During the closure of the emergency department of Roscommon County Hospital, citizens were assured that adequate resources would be put in place to fill the void of emergency services.
However with the new decision made by the HSE, Portiuncula will no longer be available to emergency health issues, serving a longer travel rate for help which is quite alarming.
In matters of emergency and healthcare, seconds can make the difference for an individual and offering a longer travel time is not sufficient for the public, said Mr Murphy.
'The people of Roscommon and Ballinasloe deserve better and I will be holding the Government and the Minister for Health to account on this matter,' concluded Deputy Murphy.
