ANSWERS DEMANDED AFTER TWO-HOUR WAIT FOR AMBULANCE TO ARRIVE AT MONAGHAN MEDICAL EMERGENCY

A person who suffered a medical emergency in Monaghan Town on a recent weekend had to lie on the footpath for two hours until an ambulance arrived to render aid, it was claimed at last week’s meeting of the Monaghan Municipal District. The incident, and another in which it was claimed that an ambulance took an hour to come to another emergency situation in the town, prompted Independent councillor Paudge Connolly to table an urgent business motion seeking meetings with the National Ambulance Service and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD.

Councillor Connolly also requested that a formal complaint in relation to the incidents be registered with the appropriate office. The debate highlighted widespread and long-standing concerns in the Monaghan community about the problems in accessing ambulance services, particularly at weekends. In his motion, Councillor Connolly proposed that “in view of the more frequent delays in ambulance response times to emergencies in the North Monaghan area, and in particular the very poor response times to two serious incidents in Monaghan Town”, the Municipal District write…