An elderly woman was forced to wait several hours for an ambulance in Roscommon after suffering serious injuries just five minutes from the local hospital earlier this month.
The woman, who is aged in her mid-80s, was left lying injured in the garden of a residence close to Roscommon University Hospital on the 6th of June for five hours.
She suffered severe injuries and was in great distress following a bad fall at around 3.30 that afternoon.
The woman, who was wearing an emergency pendant, eventually managed to raise the alarm and received help from members of the public at the scene.
The first 999 emergency call was made at around half past five while six further calls were made in the hours that followed.
An ambulance eventually arrived at the scene three hours after the first call at around 8.15 and the injured woman was taken to the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore.
Speaking to the Joe Finnegan Show, a family member said the woman suffered a traumatic ordeal:
In a Statement to the Joe Finnegan Show , the HSE say that the NAS was experiencing a high demand for emergency service calls for patients with immediately life-threatening injuries and illnesses, which resulted in some patients having longer waits.
The National Ambulance Service says that a triage assessment was made and resources were allocated to patients with immediate life threatening injuries or conditions
Reacting to the news today, local Senator Eugene Murphy said more needed to be done to prevent such situations in future:
