Sinn Fein councillor Oonagh Magennis has raised concerns over ambulance cover and response times after two crash victims were left waiting for over an hour and a half for an ambulance yesterday.
The Slieve Gullion councillor said:
“Two men were left injured, one seriously and in need of urgent medical treatment yesterday following a traffic collision on the Tandragee road, Jerrettspass.
“Despite the injuries facing both men, they were left waiting over 90 minutes for an Ambulance to arrive.
“For any patients, particularly those in a serious condition, this is a waiting time which does pose very real concerns.
“We have written to the Southern Trust, asking for an explanation as to why these patients were kept waiting for so long.
“The ongoing pressure facing our Health Service also extends to our Ambulance service. It is clear that many patients are facing unacceptable waiting times in emergency care and this is just one of the many consequences of a decade of Tory austerity on local services.
“Our ambulance crews do amazing, life saving work under extremely challenging circumstances and they need to be properly resourced and supported.
“Investing in the Health service to tackle ambulance waiting times must be a priority for the Health Minister to improve ambulance wait times for rural communities such as South Armagh.”
CRÍOCH/ENDS
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