A&E unit which turned heart attack victim away remains off-call

A HOSPITAL unable to treat a heart attack victim because its A&E service was off-call will remain closed to emergencies for at least two months.

Benny McCullagh, 72, died en route to Cavan Hospital on Tuesday, after being turned away from Monaghan Hospital, just 500 yards from his home.

Although the Government has sanctioned five junior doctors in anaesthesia, which will allow the hospital to resume its on-call service, it will be some time before the unit can deal with emergencies. The service has been suspended since July 2002.

Last night the Monaghan Hospital Community Alliance said the new unit would only be able to deal with medical emergencies.

“It will still not be allowed handle surgical emergencies even though there are three consultant surgeons at Monaghan,” alliance spokesman Peader McMahon said. “That means that medical emergencies involving things like heart attacks or asthma attacks can be dealt with but car accident victims that might require surgical intervention will still have to be brought to Cavan.”

Mr McMahon said the situation meant ambulance staff would be forced to make life or death diagnostic decisions to determine whether a particular patient was a medical or surgical emergency. “The situation is totally ridiculous and dangerous ... Ambulance staff do not have this level of training and a wrong decision by the ambulance staff could cause a patient’s death,” he said.

Health Minister Mary Harney yesterday faced a storm of protest over Mr McCullagh’s death.

Mr McMahon said if the North Eastern Health Board had restored the service, as requested by the community, Mr McCullagh may have survived.

A spokesman for the North Eastern Health Board said it was “satisfied that the emergency call in this case was responded to in a prompt and skilled manner”.