Paddy McHugh (Galway East, Independent)

I wish to place on record the circumstances surrounding a disgraceful development in my constituency of Galway East where the Health Service Executive, through its inaction, is putting at risk the lives of people in the north east of the county. In May 2006, €1.8 million was provided under the capital plan for the provision of an ambulance base in Tuam, County Galway, to serve the entire north-east Galway region. Since then, the HSE has done nothing to improve the lot of members of the public in the area. This disgraceful scandal is further illuminated by the fact that the building in question, the old Grove Hospital, is available and suitable to house an ambulance base. A planning application, site purchase or design are not required. The only requirement is that the base be established in an existing building with a parking area and all other services.

In medicine the term "the golden hour" is used to describe the hour after a person suffers a major trauma, such as a heart attack, and during which he or she must reach a coronary care unit to have a reasonable chance of survival. The golden hour criterion cannot be met in present circumstances given that ambulances based in Galway city must travel 35 miles in each direction to collect and take a patient in north-east Galway into care. This journey of 70 miles, which must be undertaken before a patient arrives in hospital, cannot be completed in one hour. The HSE, by its inaction, is behaving disgracefully and placing at risk the lives of people in north-east Galway. My requests to the HSE on this issue have fallen on deaf ears. I demand that the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, take action to force it to act.

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