Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I spoke yesterday about the trauma centre plan, which I believe was brought to Cabinet yesterday. Nothing annoys me and, I am sure, the Leader, more than people delving into places that are better left to clinicians to make decisions so I am not questioning the trauma centres. However, people have contacted me, particularly from the south east, regarding a situation where there is no catheterisation laboratory available or at least, limited availability. Catheterisation laboratories are very dear to my heart and they should be dear to anybody else's heart who has an interest in it.

This morning, Paul Bell appeared on "Morning Ireland" and spoke about the ambulance service. The back of an ambulance is no place for a trauma victim. We must put in place a helicopter service. This requires a doctor, a paramedic and a pilot, together with maintenance crews, in at least three and possibly four locations to deal with trauma if we are to get people to hospitals in time. The clinical side of it will be left to the doctors but the infrastructure to support it will be a political decision and that is a significant cost.

I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Health to come to this House before this process moves further to discuss with us precisely how he is going to find the funding and put in place the air ambulance service that will be required to ensure that a person suffering from a traumatic injury or health scare is able to get to a hospital within that magic hour. Getting somebody from Belmullet, Clifden or Dingle in Kerry to a trauma centre in Dublin or Cork simply cannot be done in an ambulance. I have driven every road in Ireland both as president of the TUI and a candidate on the Seanad trail and I can assure the House it is difficult enough driving across some of them sitting in the front seat of a car. I do not know what it would be like lying on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance. It is not something we should turn into a political football but it is something we should discuss openly before this process moves further. I ask the Leader at his leisure to invite the Minister to the House to debate that matter with us.