This article is from page 4 of the 2006-10-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
THE Health Service Executive in the mid west has sought funding to replace what ambulance staff have described as “obsolete” cardiac equipment but can only do so when the money is made available.
The HSE had been accused by ambulance staff of being “slow” or “reluctant” to replace portable defibrillators. The executive has already admitted that some of its older cardiac equipment cannot be upgraded to meet the recent changes to international resuscitation guidelines.
Emergency Medical Technicians have claimed that defibrillators on board ambulances across the mid west are up to ten years old and are not in line with the recently introduced codes from the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR).
“All these defibrillators need to be replaced because the software in the older machines cannot be upgraded to meet the new guidelines. As it is, if we are shocking a patient we have to switch off the defibrillator in the middle of the treatment and start it up again. It is a disgrace,” one EMT has claimed.
“All we want is to have the same standard of equipment as other ambulance services have had for years. We know that our colleagues in Cork, Dublin and the south east all have the most up-to-date defibrillators but with the machines we have, we can’t provide optimal care to the patient,” another Emergency Technician said.
Staff accept however that the money is simply not available in the mid west but say it must be provided from somewhere.
The HSE (Mid-West) said it had some equipment which couldn’t be upgraded with new software to meet the recent changes to the ILCOR guidelines. However, they had been advised by their suppliers that the current equipment could be configured to facilitate the recommended two minute interval between each defibrillation. In future, cardiac monitoring/defibrillation equipment will be purchased nationally on a phased basis in accordance with the national procurement policy and through national procurement.
The HSE spokesperson confirmed that submissions had been made for funding and the defibrillators would be replaced when that funding was made available. Asked whether it was a case of the money not been made available from HSE head office or the Department of Health, the HSE spokesman said the ambulance service had to work within its budget.