Call the doctor: Making the difference between life and death 

Dr Hugh Doran is often the first medic at the scene of an accident in east Cork, offering critical care ahead of hospital admission.  It's a voluntary role, and he's on call 24 hours a day 

Dr. Hugh Doran, Carrigtwohill and East Cork Rapid Response, at the critical care response vehicle. Picture Denis Minihane.

“IT’S all about putting order on what’s a chaotic clinical scene,” says Carrigtwohill-based GP Dr Hugh Doran, who has been volunteering as a pre-hospital critical care doctor since 1995.

East Cork Rapid Response (ECRR) was set up in 2007 in recognition of the impact of Dr Doran’s work. Last year the voluntary response group received the RSA’s Leading Lights award in the ‘emergency services’ category. It powered ahead of 80 nominations, recognised as a service that was the ‘difference between life and death’ for many.