Sinn Féin TD for Roscommon/Galway Claire Kerrane has warned that the delay to the return of the Air Ambulance to Athlone is concerning.
“The Air Ambulance was re-located to Baldonnell last November to allow for structural repairs to the Hanger in Athlone.“It was to be returned to Athlone by the end of January. I have been seeking updates since. I am now informed that the Air Ambulance will not return until mid-March.“I warned last November that the return in January would likely be much delayed and it has been.“The majority of calls for the Air Ambulance come from County Roscommon. Its location in Dublin now adds half an hour to a call.“The relocation to Dublin is unacceptable and arrangements should have been made for it to be relocated at Knock or Galway Airport.“It should have been retained in the West.“I will continue to persist until the Air Ambulance is returned.“I am getting more and more concerned as to the decisions being made at Management level in the NAS – they took away our 24/7 Advanced Paramedic cover in Roscommon and now they are doing this. I will not allow the NAS to do any of this quietly and I will not stop highlighting these issues.”
