Mulranny ambulance base to be fully staffed

Mulranny ambulance base to be fully staffed after campaign


Anton McNulty

THERE has been widespread welcome in west Mayo this week to the news that the HSE ambulance base in Mulranny will become a fully-staffed base and is due to be operating fully in the coming weeks.
The appointment of 45 HSE positions which has recently been approved was welcomed by Mulranny-based GP, Dr Jerry Cowley, who says this will ensure the opening of a fully-staffed ambulance base in Mulranny.
The appointment of the additional staff will also ensure the opening of the Tuam ambulance base as well as the elimination of the on-call part of the Belmullet ambulance service.
Last month, Dr Cowley delivered a 3,000 signature petition to the office of An Taoiseach Enda Kenny in Castlebar calling for the opening of a fully-staffed base in Mulranny.
Dr Cowley explained he received an email confirmation from the the Office of the Taoiseach on December 31 last stating that the Taoiseach was making some enquiries with the National Ambulance Service on that matter. Subsequently it was confirmed to Dr Cowley that the 45 positions have been sanctioned and that the Mulranny base and the Tuam base will be fully staffed and open in early 2015.
Dr Cowley welcomed the news that a fully staffed base is expected to open in the first quarter of 2015.

‘Great news’
“This is great news indeed, and although well overdue, is to be greatly welcomed. It will mean that the people of Mulranny, Ballycroy and Bangor-Erris and Inishbiggle, as well as Achill and Currane, and Newfield to Newport and Kilmeena and surrounding areas, will have 24 /7 HSE emergency ambulance services from their local ambulance base for the first time ever.
“This will save lives and prevent long term disability by ensuring a prompt response by the dedicated and hardworking HSE ambulance Paramedics and EMT’s based in their own area. I would like to thank An Taoiseach for his intervention and all those who assisted with and signed the petition,” he said
The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) described Mulranny as one of three ‘well-known ambulance blackspot areas’, and despite the base having been open since 2013 but has never been fully staffed.
This meant that ambulances for the Mulranny and Achill areas had to travel from Castlebar which meant that patients in these areas could not receive urgent attention within the recommended time frame.
This was highlighted early in January 2014 when Dr Cowley had to deliver baby Amaya Gallagher at his surgery because there was no ambulance available to bring the expectant mother, Elaine Gallagher to hospital in time. In total, Dr Cowley has delivered seven babies in his Mulranny surgery because their mothers could not make the hospital in Castlebar in time.