If I had been forced to wait I would not be here

If I had been forced to wait I would not be here

6 January 2016

A DOWNPATRICK man who owes his life to the Downe Hospital and local paramedics wants more health resources invested locally.

At the start of the New Year, Liam Taggart hopes his wish will come true after the “right people were in the right place at the right time” last May when he suffered a massive heart attack after he had gone to the Downpatrick hospital with chest pain.

After being assessed by a doctor on what was a Bank Holiday, Liam was kept in the emergency department for observation and just 15 minutes after his arrival he suffered his heart attack. Doctors treated him with diamorphine and gave him aspirin to thin his blood and called for an emergency ambulance to take him to a special cardiac catheterization lab at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast to have stents ed in his heart.

But just seconds after leaving the Downe, Liam suffered a second cardiac arrest and the on-board paramedics used a defibrillator to restart his heart. He continued his journey to the Royal where medics were on hand to insert the stents.

Liam admits he is lucky to be alive and has publicly thanked everyone who help save his life and the South Eastern Trust’s cardiac rehabilitation team.

“Many people in the Down area have had to wait for ambulances to arrive to take them to hospital. If I had been forced to wait last May I would not be here today,” he said.

“I cannot thank the paramedics, who all do a wonderful job for the people of the area, enough. They are at the coal face providing an excellent service and it is important the Ambulance Service is provided with the resources it needs to ensure emergency vehicles are always available locally.”

Ironically, Liam’s 90 year-old aunt, Mrs Agnes Sharvin, fell and broke her hip in Strangford last March and faced a painful wait on a cold pavement for over an hour before an ambulance arrived. Mrs Sharvin, a former nurse and midwife, fell close to her home after tripping on a short walk to the shops. 

Liam said he has now seen both sides of the ambulance service available locally and is grateful paramedics were close by when he suffered his heart attack last May and played a key role in saving his life.

“People across the district have had to wait for ambulances in the past, but I did not. The system in place for treating local people who have a heart attack by whisking them to the Royal for emergency treatment worked perfectly and I am so grateful,” he continued.

“I also arrested when I arrived at the Royal and if the paramedics had not acted as quickly as they did I would not have been stented within an hour of my first heart attack and the outcome would have been very different.

“The bottom line is I would have died if all the pieces had not fallen into place last May. It’s vitally important this happens for everyone.”

Liam said having doctors at the Downe and ambulance crews available and ready to react at the of hat to emergencies is essential.

The Downpatrick painter and decorator said there is no point having a local hospital if patients cannot be transferred to Belfast in a timely fashion.

He continued: “I was stented within an hour of my first arrest which reduced the damage to my heart. I knew I was in trouble en route to the Royal and when I arrived there the staff I needed were in place which also helped me significantly.

“It’s my hope other patients who have the misfortune to suffer a major heart attack have a similar response and get the treatment they require as soon as possible.

“We have all heard horror stories about people having to wait for an ambulance like my aunt in Strangford, but I can’t thank the doctors and paramedics enough. They were all amazing and I am here today because of them.”

Liam hopes the New Year will see additional resources being invested in local ambulance provision  to help paramedics “who do a terrific job” save even more lives and enhance emergency cover across the district.

He added: “You do not appreciate the brilliant doctors, nurses and paramedics we have until you need them. We are fortunate to have such high calibre professionals working both locally and at the Royal. Together they are saving lives. I was lucky; the people I needed to save my life were there and were absolutely brilliant.”