asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of the need for a heart ambulance on the north side of Dublin city; and if he will take steps to have one provided.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Heart Ambulance.
16.
The arrangements for the provision of ambulance services in Dublin are primarily a matter for the Eastern Health Board. Because the existing services operated by the fire brigade in North Dublin are fast and reliable, the board have not taken a decision in favour of a special heart ambulance being based there but I understand that discussions on the matter were recently held with the Irish Heart Foundation and the Stillorgan Ambulance Service.
Would the Minister accept that there is necessity for the provision of at least one heart ambulance in the north side?
That is being discussed. It was discussed no later than Friday last and I do not know the outcome of that discussion. It appears that the service provided by the Dublin Fire Brigade in the north city area is adequate at the moment.
Does the Minister not appreciate that there is need for a heart ambulance, as distinct from an ordinary ambulance, in the north city area?
Yes, but the Stillorgan service can be deployed to meet the cases the Deputy has in mind.
Does the Minister not appreciate that the real importance of the heart ambulance is that the patient's life may be saved in the ambulance because of the equipment in it and that if one had to wait for such an ambulance to come from Stillorgan the patient could be dead by the time it became available in the north city area?
As I have said, discussions are going on and I do not yet know their outcome.
I hope the Minister will not leave his decision dependent on discussions which may take place at a leisurely pace. This is a serious matter, literally a matter of life and death.
It is extremely serious. I am not saying the ambulance service, particularly for accidents, is as good as it should be, but these heart ambulances are available in only about three cities in Britain. There may be certain cases where the availability of such ambulances would save lives, but the north part of the city seems to be well catered for by the fire brigade and by the Stillorgan Ambulance Service.