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.

Mr McLaughlin, a lung and kidney transplant patient and chairperson of the Donegal branch of the Cystic Fibrosis Association, wrote a pleading letter two months ago to Health Minister Dr James to stop further cutbacks.

He said: “I got a two-line reply from his office saying that the minister was looking into it. They haven’t written since but we continue to hear about further hospital units closing.”

Many local hospitals, like his own, Letterkenny General Hospital, feared emergency units would be closed at specific times, opening only during daylight hours.

He added: “Anybody who is unfortunate enough to require medical assistance outside the prescribed hours are likely to find themselves in the back of an ambulance on their way to a very busy casualty unit at a hospital well away from where they live.

“A patient may die while being forced to make such a stupid journey. For those with cystic fibrosis, the implications are grave. Infections may be left much longer, before being treated.

“That’s something which frightens the hell out of me.”

Mr McLaughlin is cared for by his elderly mother Frances at their home in Stranorlar, Co Donegal.

Mr McLaughlin has survived a double lung-transplant for 19 years. He also survived a successful kidney transplant.