A 93-year-old woman is recovering this week after she waited for almost four hours for an ambulance at her Dundalk home earlier this month, while lying on the floor with a fractured pelvis.
More details about the woman’s ordeal have been revealed by Sinn Féin TD Ruairí Ó Murchú who highlighted the case at his party’s Ard Fhéis recently and last week contacted the HSE seeking answers about why the woman had to wait so long ‘in abject pain’.
Deputy Ó Murchú said he had been contacted by the woman’s son, who outlined to him the sequence of events that happened on the evening of November 9 at his mother’s home which is in the south of the town.
The Dundalk TD said: ‘ This happened on Friday November 10 2023 where a 93-year-old woman waited from 5.20pm to 9.05pm for an ambulance to come to help her.
‘Her son told me how his mother fell at her home and was unable to move. She was in a lot of pain and an ambulance was called.
‘When the National Ambulance Service (NAS) was initially contacted at 5.20pm, dispatch said they would come as quickly as possible.
‘At around 6pm, dispatch contacted the family again and said they had nothing available. They were told this woman was in agony and was on the ground.
‘Half an hour later, at 630pm, the family contacted dispatch again and were told that the ambulance allocated to this call was diverted to a more serious call.
‘At 7.15pm, dispatch called back and said there was still no ambulance. At 8.40pm, the family contacted dispatch once more and were again advised there were no ambulances available, but the next one was 18 minutes away.
‘The ambulance arrived at 9.05pm and the woman was brought to the Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda after a diagnosis of a fractured pelvis and a kidney infection. The ambulance crew were very kind and helpful when they arrived and took great care of her’.
Deputy Ó Murchú said this was ‘an horrendous ordeal’ for the 93-year-old woman and for her family, who were frantically trying to get her help for a serious and painful injury. She remained lying on the ground because she couldn’t be moved for nearly four hours.
‘She was understandably very afraid, and in so much pain. I have written to the HSE about the matter and they have confirmed to me that they are investigating.
‘While the pressures on ambulance crews are understood, this is a dreadful state of affairs and the family needs answers as to why their mother was left in this state for hours, while living just a few kilometres from the ambulance station at the Louth County Hospital’.
ENDS
CLANRYE NEWS 