Sir, – I am incensed by the news that the emergency department at St Columcille's Hospital in Loughlinstown is to close at the end of the month (Home News, November 7th).
My family live in a rural area of Co Wicklow and in 2005 we suffered a tragic loss when the ambulance could not find our address in time to save my father’s life.
Last year, a member of An Garda Síochána called to our house to inquire about the exact details of our address in a bid to update the GPS systems of emergency vehicles so that such services might function more effectively. The question was an unexpected reminder of our loss, but I was heartened to learn that technology was finally catching up with our rural community’s needs.
However, we now understand that the closure of St Columcille’s emergency department will mean that an ambulance will have to travel a further 11.5km, from St Vincent’s University Hospital to the sick or injured; adding at least an extra 14 minutes to the travel time. In addition to this, citizens of south Dublin will have to wait longer for ambulances to return from distant parts of Wicklow, culminating in increased pressure on the service.
We do not need help to join the dots; a loss of this emergency department will amount to one thing, a loss of lives. I do not want another family to suffer the same lesson we experienced; but unless Wicklow residents take matters into their own hands, I fear that a potentially tragic and devastating future awaits. – Yours, etc,
CRISTÍN KEHOE,
Callowhill,
Newtownmountkennedy,
Co Wicklow.