COUNCILLORS in Larne have been urged to take a stand against alleged cuts in the ambulance service.
Moyle District Council, following a meeting on Monday morning, is to write to its counterparts in Larne, Ballymena, Ballymoney and Coleraine seeking a united front in the wake of a leaked report proposing reduced daytime ambulance provision in the no
rth-east and other areas this year.
The Moyle motion was proposed by Sinn Fein councillor Oliver McMullan, who said after the meeting, "I would sincerely hope that all the councils can work as one on this because the latest information I have is that further cuts are in the pipeline for 2009-10.
"The measures already proposed would in effect mean the loss of cover equivalent to one ambulance in Ballymena and as has been demonstrated in the past there is a domino effect, with crews from other areas being called in to provide emergency cover.
"This has already been felt in the Larne area, where if the ambulance is called away to Whiteabbey they have to bring in cover."
Mr McMullan recalled an incident in Glenarm where a young boy injured in a GAA match had to wait nearly an hour while the nearest available paramedics were dispatched from Armoy, near Ballycastle.
"The situation in the Larne area is already bad enough, but if the proposed cut in Ballymena goes through it will be even worse, with more to come in east Antrim in 2009-10," he warned.
Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has denied there are any plans to cut funding for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS), but has admitted the need to "streamline" services to make the best use of the cash available. He added that an additional £12 million is to be invested in the next three years.
The Minister said, "This significant investment will enable the service to modernise, to respond more quickly to emergency calls and to help provide life-saving services to patients who need it. In addition, further investment of £5 million in the ambulance fleet and equipment will permit the replacement of around 20 vehicles per year.
"Over the next three years, measures will be put in place across the health and social care service, including ambulance services, to improve efficiency. I have approved the proposals for NIAS for year one, 2008/09, but I have yet to see and consider their proposals for the subsequent years. However, I must stress that even after these efficiencies have been achieved it should be noted that there will be a net increase in investment in ambulance services."
The authorities underlined a commitment to decommission older ambulances and to meet the shortfall with more new 4X4 rapid response vehicles (RRVs), each manned by a single paramedic.
Critics, however, claim that the RRVs cannot transport a casualty to hospital. One is Oliver McMullan, who said, "Rapid response vehicles are not the answer in rural areas. Okay, a paramedic can come out and maybe stabilise a patient, but they'll still have to wait for a properly equipped ambulance to arrive, which means vital time will be lost."
