Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the important matter of an 80 year old man who became seriously ill while walking across a field in east Galway, last Friday. He was immediately assisted by his next door neighbour who fortuitously is involved in the private ambulance service system, and had at his disposal the choice of three top of the range ambulances standing within a few yards of where the man became ill. However, he was prevented from taking the severely ill patient to Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, and had to wait for the arrival of a HSE ambulance from Galway 30 minutes later.

It is worth noting that the patient was made comfortable and given oxygen in his neighbour's ambulance, but had to be transferred to the HSE vehicle for transportation to the hospital. In the circumstances, he is making reasonable progress in hospital. However, the local community cannot understand why a state of the art ambulance was not allowed to convey a very sick patient to hospital.

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