The Irish Community Air Ambulance has issued a plea for Government support after having been called out to 512 missions in fourteen counties over the course of 2021 - its busiest year since it launched in 2019.
The charity funded service works in partnership with the National Ambulance Service and is tasked with responding to serious incidents and medical emergencies from its base in Rathcool in North Cork. Each helicopter mission costs an average of €3,500, all of which has to be raised or donated.
There is also a fleet of Rapid Response Vehicles on the ground in counties such as Mayo, Donegal and Dublin. These vehicles are staffed by volunteer critical care doctors and also by community-based GPs.
The organisation’s CEO, Micheál Sheridan, said that the HSE is releasing funding to private ambulance firms to provide support during the continuing crisis yet the Community Air Ambulance is still entirely funded by public donations.
“The increased number of taskings during 2021 shows that we provide a vital service. The cost to run the charity during 2022 is expected to be €2.1 million which is a significant amount of money to raise,” he said.
“We are so grateful to all our supporters who help us to bring hope to those in emergency situations but we will continue to engage with the Government to provide funding during these uncertain times.”
There were more calls to cardiac arrests, farming-related incidents and falls from heights during 2021. Cardiac arrests accounted for one in five calls with 103 call-outs, up from 81 in 2020. One in every three cases required an airlift to hospital.
Diarmuid O’Donovan from Cork was one of those to benefit from the service last year after he had been seriously injured when he was thrown over the handlebars of his bike while cycling around Slea Head, Co Kerry in May.
He said he needed to be brought to a dedicated Trauma Centre quickly.
“A moment of carelessness saw me hit the road. I was on my own but thankfully it wasn’t long before I was found. Paramedics, a local doctor, the local Fire Service and gardaí all responded. I was drifting in and out of consciousness and it quickly emerged that I needed to be at Cork University Hospital as soon as possible.
“I wasn’t in a suitable state for a two-and-a-half-hour journey by road so the Irish Community Air Ambulance was tasked and landed in Ventry. The journey to CUH by helicopter took just 30 minutes.
“I underwent several procedures that evening and spent 12 days in hospital. I believe it could have been far worse if I had not been transported to CUH so quickly and that my recovery has been much faster as a result.”