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Statements Issued on behalf of the Ireland Air Ambulance
22
June 2009
Health
Committee GP Blasts Health Minister’s Remarks
that Northern Ireland
does not need an air ambulance
Dr
Kieran Deeny MLA (West Tyrone) a practicing GP for 29 years suggested Mr
McGimpsey "should be dragged into the 21st century.”
"I’d
love to know where he got his information from or who advised him because he
clearly has no idea about 21st century medicine.
"Air
ambulances across the UK
are considered to be a core service of modern medicine, why should we be
disadvantaged?
"I
think we should remember what the Minister has said, because when people get to
see how fantastic this service is, it’s then we should remind him of his
comments. He will be proven wrong."
"The
thinking in this country and the message from our Health Minister is so inward
looking. Those in positions of authority are not prepared to look to others to
learn."
"The
air ambulance will undoubtedly save lives - that’s for sure. I was lucky enough
to witness a similar service in action in Scotland, and they view it as an
invaluable tool.
"I’ve
been working in a rural practice for 22 years and women have regularly given
birth on our floor. It’s only by the grace of god that no one has died, or
suffered serious injury while waiting for help.
"An
air ambulance would change all of this. It would be an indispensable tool for
the rural community and beyond."
Dr
Gwyn Beattie, Clinical Director of the Ireland Air Ambulance charity said:
“As
one of the only regions within Europe without
an air ambulance we’ve seen amazing support from the public for our plans to
provide an air ambulance.
“As
a surgeon from Enniskillen I am acutely aware that time is of the essence when
treating the seriously injured.
“Air
cover presently provided by the coastguard lacks the onboard trauma doctor that
the Ireland Air Ambulance would carry to treat the casualty. In rural areas
this service could literally mean the difference between life and death.”
“I would like to thank all our fundraisers,
volunteers and other stakeholders for their continuing work and assure them
that our negotiations will continue with the NI Ambulance Service and health
officials.”
Ends
17 June 2009
Dr Gwyn Beattie MB BCh Bao MRCS, Clinical Director at Ireland Air Ambulance (IAA) said:
"Over the past number of days Ireland Air Ambulance has been contacting its stakeholders to underline its continued commitment to securing the service for the region and explaining that the high start-up costs involved in establishing a charity are not unusual.
"This was confirmed by the charities commission for Northern Ireland who yesterday confirmed that "...a charity may spend more on its set-up than it will do in later stages of its development and operation."
"Ireland Air Ambulance is in the process of appointing external consultants to review the operations of the charity and ensure the business model going forward is robust and best serves our aim of providing an air ambulance to serve the people. "
16 June 2009
Dr Gwyn Beattie MB BCh Bao MRCS, Clinical Director at Ireland Air Ambulance (IAA) said:
“IAA has always been completely transparent about all aspects of its operations and publishes its audited financial results on its website.
“As the only region in the UK without Air Ambulance cover we continue to find great support for our plans to provide a service for the region.
“Like any charity or organisation, we anticipated that start-up costs in the first trading years would be high.
“In our first year, 90% of income was spent on operational costs such as salaries, premises, travel expenses, professional fees. In the last three months this figure has been reduced to 68% and we expect it to fall much further still in coming years.
“IAA receives no other funding outside public donations and collects a large proportion of its funds from some 13,000 collection boxes dispersed throughout the region. The regular collection, counting and banking of these boxes requires considerable manpower.
“I would like to thank all our fundraisers, volunteers and other stakeholders for their work to date and assure them that the vision of the IAA will soon become a reality.
“We envisage signing a lease deal with a helicopter firm in the coming weeks and will continue our negotiations with the NI Ambulance Service and health officials to ensure the integration of the IAA with emergency planning procedures.
“As a surgeon, working and living in Northern Ireland I am confident that our continuing fundraising and support from the community will
see the air ambulance soon begin operating in the region."
Help us become Ireland's First HEMS Air Ambulance!
Our Area of coverage will include:
Antrim, Armagh, Belfast.
Cavan, Donegal, Down , Dublin, Fermanagh, Galway, L'Derry, Leitrim,
Louth, Longford, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo, Tyrone, Westmeath,
and not forgetting Rathlin Island and the Isle Of Man.
A new supporter of Ireland Air Ambulance
Kyle Orr, upcoming Rally Driver, is currently leading the Fiesta Sporting Trophy Championship.
Click below for more details on his achievements.
Team Fergus in the Belfast City Marathon 4th May 2009
(running in aid of Ireland Air Ambulance)
Computer Appeal - We need your old or unused equipment. Details
here
.
* Special request - we are in urgent need of some DDR 512MB or 1GB Memory modules - if you can donate any please contact us *
The 1000bikes500miles Ride Out was a success ! Report and Photos coming soon!
2008 Kells to Kells Annual ride out Photos
Here
You can donate to Ireland Air Ambulance in other ways too, please visit 'JustGiving' and 'TheGivingMachine' to see how.
