Denis Naughten TD has confirmed that a new back-up air ambulance service is to be based beside Roscommon University Hospital (RUH) from this week.
The service, which is to act as a back-up service to the Air Corps to facilitate training of its staff, will see ‘Irish Community Rapid Response’ base an air ambulance helicopter beside RUH for four days per month for an initial four-month period.
“As we are all aware, there have been concerns expressed in the past by Defence Force personnel regarding the staffing of the Air Corps service at Custume Barracks in Athlone. As a result of those concerns I have been engaging with Government to secure an emergency air ambulance service for our region”.
The Roscommon-Galway TD states that the core objective is not just to maintain the existing level of emergency air ambulance service but to see it expanded to cater for more patients and over a longer period of time, specifically at night.
