[ad_1]
The head of the HSE has tweeted images of Irish ambulance teams lining up to support their colleagues in Northern Ireland.
Irish paramedics are heading to Belfast, Craigavon and Lisburn this weekend, as the Northern health service is under heavy pressure due to the pandemic.
Paul Reid shared a photo of an Irish National Ambulance Service vehicle parked next to one from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service in Belfast last night.
In another tweet, the HSE chief said he was “proud” of the Irish paramedics as they “will provide resources and support to their colleagues in Northern Ireland for the next few days.”
“The health services support each other as needed,” he said.
Tonight in Belfast, teams from the Irish National Ambulance Service work alongside colleagues from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. People’s health takes priority #Teamwork #Proud @Ambulance @ NIAS999 @HSELive # COVID-19 pic.twitter.com/PIpcYFihA2
– Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) December 18, 2020
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has confirmed that assistance is being provided to the North’s health service, but said services in the Republic are not affected.
Michael Bloomfield, executive director of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, said the move is “relatively unusual” and reflects the pressure they are under.
On Tuesday, queues of ambulances were witnessed at Northern Ireland’s accident and emergency (ED) departments as patients were being treated in car parks due to lack of capacity within hospitals.
At one point, 17 ambulances with patients lined up outside the emergency department at the Antrim Area Hospital.
On Thursday, the hospital occupancy rate was 104 percent according to the Northern Ireland Department of Health’s Covid-19 panel.
Shock
It comes as Northern Ireland’s political leaders have clashed amid a blame game over the region’s rising rates of Covid-19 infection.
Prime Minister Arlene Foster said a decline in regulatory compliance was due to high-level Sinn Féin figures attending the funeral of IRA veteran Bobby Storey at a time when strict limits were placed on numbers. .
The DUP leader, who also spoke of a failure of society as a whole, made the claims after Sinn Féin Deputy Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill accused the DUP of acting against public health councils by oppose stronger measures before the pandemic.
Ireland
Covid-19: New restrictions on hospitality and housing …
The clashes took place a day after the Executive unanimously agreed to impose a six-week general blockade that will take effect on Saint Stephen’s Day.
The first week of those measures will see the toughest lockdown yet in Northern Ireland, with a form of curfew in place starting at 8pm, shops closed after that time, and all indoor and outdoor gatherings. prohibited until 6 am.
New restrictions on businesses and home visits will be imposed in the Republic as of December 30.
It comes when the Republic’s medical director warned that the country “simply cannot cope” with current levels of infection.
[ad_2]