Near miss! Ministers (almost) gave way to saving lives

THE Government considered grounding ministers from the State’s €8m Learjet because of gaps in services for flying children abroad for life-saving transplants.

The proposal was one of several options considered after the Department of Defence said it did not have the resources to provide a round-the-clock service for desperately ill children.

A briefing prepared for Minister Simon Harris explained that the service – which transports children to the UK when lifesaving organs become available at short notice – was ‘not sustainable’.

It said one family had relocated to the UK, because they knew if an organ became available, there was no guarantee of getting there on time while based in Ireland.

Other families on the transplant waiting list had been informed that delays were a possibility for their children, while the possibility of encouraging other families to move temporarily, with financial support from the HSE, was also mooted.

The memo reveals that at one stage the Department of the Taoiseach wanted to look at ‘grounding’ the Learjet for ministers and only have it available as an air ambulance.

However, that proposal would not have helped because so few pilots in the Air Corps are qualified to fly the executive jet.

The aeromedical service faced major issues from February to June this year after one of two CASA aircrafts – regularly used for transplant flights – was taken out of service for engine maintenance.

In a statement, the Department of Health said air ambulances were being provided by the Air Corps, Coast Guard and, when necessary, private providers. It said all priority-one transfers this year were done within the time frames allowed. Although changes to Irish Aviation Authority rules this week meant ‘some service restrictions’ would now apply to Coast Guard transfers.