Lives put at risk without vital A&E units

I APPLAUD the comments made by Dr Cliodhna Donnelly (Letters, July 12).

Two weeks ago, a very close family member had to be rushed to hospital with a potentially life-threatening haemmhorage, resulting from an adverse reaction to a commonly prescribed anticoagulant medication.

Fortunately, as we live within a 10-minute ambulance drive of Cork University Hospital, she was seen immediately by the excellent A&E staff, who eventually managed to control the loss of blood.