Transplant patient voices fears over health service cuts

THE country’s oldest transplant patient, Brendan McLaughlin, admitted he is “frightened as hell” he may die if he ever has to seek urgent hospital treatment.

He launched a blistering attack on diminishing health services which could mean a longer ambulance journey in event of an emergency.

Cystic fibrosis sufferer Mr McLaughlin, 43, said reducing services in local hospitals and plans to close some of them will mean longer ambulance drives to busy casualty units at other hospitals well away from their homes for patients like him in an emergency.