Air ambulance

The concern voiced by Cork councillors about the unconscionable delay in getting the country’s first, and much-needed, charity-funded air ambulance service off the ground raises a life or death question: what is it about the provision of such an amenity that Ireland finds so difficult?

A new helicopter has been waiting for lift-off in a North Cork hangar since January. Paramedics, pilots, engineers, and ground staff have been trained, and an integration plan with the National Emergency Operations Centre, which handles all 112/999 calls, has been signed and sealed.