A total of 15 ambulances broke down and required recovery assistance in Galway during a nine-month period last year – this was the highest number of such incidents anywhere outside Dublin.
The most high profile of these breakdowns was an occasion in which the rear wheels of an ambulance fell off while it was transporting a patient to University Hospital Galway (UHG ). This incident, which occurred last August as a patient was being brought from Letterkenny General Hospital to UHG, led to a number of political representatives questioning the roadworthiness of emergency vehicles.
At the time, the HSE said that the driver experienced a shudder and some noise in the vehicle and brought the vehicle to a stop. He then discovered that the two rear wheels had dislodged. A second vehicle was dispatched by the National Emergency Control Centre to meet the broken-down ambulance, and it arrived within five minutes of the issue being raised. There were no adverse effects to the patient as a result of the vehicle issue. A full investigation by the manufacturer and an independent company was conducted.
Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that in total 235 breakdowns were recorded by the National Ambulance Service between February 12 and November 11, 2015. A total of 58 of these occurred in the western region, including the aforementioned 15 in Galway, while there were 13 in Limerick, and 11 in Clare. Twenty three breakdowns were recorded in the southern region, while 123 were recorded in Leinster. Last year, 53 ambulances were decommissioned and replaced by 64 newly purchased vehicles. The addition of 85 ambulances in 2016 will see the fleet expand to 268 vehicles.
The figures were revealed by Fine Gael senator Hildegarde Naughton. The Galway based General Election candidate admitted that the statistics were concerning. However she said €18 million had since been invested in the ambulance fleet to ensure that such incidents will not happen again.
Senator Naughton said replacing older vehicles will reduce costs and improve reliability. “The number of ambulance breakdowns is a consequence of many years of under-investment in the National Ambulance Service, which is responsible for saving countless lives every year. But I’m pleased that the Minister for Health announced an investment of €18 million this month for the purchase of 50 new ambulances and 35 refurbished ambulances under the HSE’s capital programme. This will address the historic underinvestment that has seen emergency vehicles apparently unfit for purpose being used to respond to life-or-death situations, and statistics such as these will be consigned to the past.”
