Anaesthetists’ report seeks ambulance service upgrade

THE provision of a seven-day, 24-hour ambulance service to allow critically ill patients to be transferred between hospitals for treatment is called for in a new report prepared by the Association of Anaesthetists in Ireland.

An estimated 1,000 such critical transfers take place in this country every year.

Medical specialists say many hospitals do not have enough resources to provide the modern standard of care required for these patients prior to transfer. They also say the service run by Dublin hospitals is limited to weekdays and only to certain patients.