Heart attack victim’s three day wait for transport to hospital

Date Published: 08-Jan-2009

A 50 YEAR old Tuam man was left for almost three days before being brought to hospital after suffering a mild heart attack on Christmas Eve.

The man, who lives alone, attended a local doctor complaining of chest pains and was told that he had suffered a heart attack.

He was sent home and advised that a taxi from the HSE would collect him at his house and bring him to Galway for treatment.

But the taxi did not arrive until the day after Stephen’s Day – and in the meantime the petrified man thought he was going to die at any moment.

To make matters worse, when the taxi arrived at his house to collect him, the driver informed him that he had to collect another patient in Cloonfad 15 miles further on.

The man had two stents inserted and has since returned home where he is making a successful recovery and is being monitored by friends and neighbours.

The ordeal for the man was…