A round-up of today's health news stories in brief
New paramedic service rolls out in north Cork
A NEW advanced paramedic service, which will be launched in north Cork in the coming weeks, will effectively take advanced life support out of the A&E to the roadside.
A pilot west Cork EMS (emergency medical service) five-man advanced paramedic team launched late last year has been an overwhelming success. The initiative will be rolled out in north Cork from Fermoy to Kanturk to Mallow and the surrounding areas albeit from a base in Cork city. The advanced paramedic team will offer 24-hour, 365-day cover in the region.
A spokesman for the HSE said the first part of the rollout of the north Cork advanced paramedic team, which is a public information campaign, should start in early April.
“This information campaign includes visits and presentations by the advanced paramedics to staff with whom they will work, primary and secondary schools, public representatives, community groups and associations, chambers of commerce, hospital action groups, etc.”
The paramedics involved are specialists in pre-hospital emergency care who are trained to provide care in all types of medical emergencies. They possess a wide range of skills which include advanced airway management, initiation of IV fluids (drips) and administration of medications such as pain relief and anti-convulsing therapies.
These paramedics can provide advanced life support in resuscitation situations and complement other care providers such as paramedics, doctors, nurses and first responders in the community.
Experts To Review Who's Handling Of H1n1 Pandemic
A GROUP of independent experts will review how the H1N1 pandemic has been handled to ensure that the response to the next global health emergency improves, according to a top World Health Organisation (WHO) official yesterday. The H1N1 influenza outbreak was marked by controversies over whether the WHO and public health authorities had exaggerated the risks of H1N1 and created unnecessary alarm by declaring it a “pandemic”. The WHO has also been criticised for its pandemic alert system that focuses on geographical spread of the outbreak rather than its severity.