Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for her comprehensive reply. I reiterate that the level of care provided in this particular case is not in question. The patient involved received very good care. However, it did not make sense that the doctor on duty, who is a specialist in this area and who regularly attends GAA matches and other sporting events, could not decide on which hospital to send the player who had sustained a bad leg break. It was obvious that the best place to transport the player was the nearest orthopaedic centre of excellence. That centre of excellence is, of course, located in Waterford. As a result of what happened in the Celtic tiger era, there are good roads in the area and the journey from Carlow to Waterford, which used to take 90 minutes, now takes less than an hour. Rather than obliging the patient involved to spend six hours sitting in the accident and emergency department in Kilkenny following his X-ray, it would have made more sense to transport him directly to Waterford to have everything done in one go. He would, by 3 a.m., have been well on the way to recovery.

There is a need to ensure the management of the ambulance service in the area is more streamlined in nature. This will ensure that people will not be obliged to wait for long periods to be treated and that we can get the best use of the service available. I reiterate that there is no doubt that the patient in this instance received the best care possible.

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