Let’s have paramedics to save more lives

IRELAND does not have one paramedic working in the ambulance or fire services. There are too many unnecessary deaths and I blame the policies of the Department of Health and Children and the Department of Finance.

World health statistics show that paramedic services, through their ability to provide life-saving drug intervention in the field, save lives.

As Joe Sherlock pointed out in his plea not to have Mallow hospital downgraded, lives will be at risk if patients are not treated within the ‘golden hour’.

This has become a political and financial football. Every firefighter and ambulance emergency medical technician that I have spoken with believes that many lives are being lost by not having paramedic intervention.

This is especially true in rural areas where many road accident trauma patients cannot be treated properly by emergency services personnel because their level of training is inadequate.

What if it was your loved one who had a heart attack in a rural area and paramedic drug intervention could have saved his or her life?

Now after we bring in paramedic services, how about staffing ambulances 24/7, building more fire stations and adding an air ambulance service just to match the level of services in most other European countries?

Michael Walsh

17 Douglas Close

Douglas

Co Cork