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Members of the Defence Forces re-enacted the operation this morning to highlight the inaccuracies of the report. Defence Forces Press Office

Defence Forces strongly refute 'organ transfer blunder' reports

“The media report of them “scaling a fence” is fanciful in the extreme,” it said in the statement.

THE DEFENCE FORCES have strongly refuted reports that its Air Corps was involved in a ‘organ transfer fiasco’ last week.

According to the Irish Daily Mail this morning, there was “another organ transfer blunder” last Tuesday after the helicopter which was transporting a heart and lung landed in a locked sports ground.

However, in a statement to TheJournal.ie, the Defence Forces said the air ambulance mission was successfully completed – without any delays or problems – on 22 May. During the operation, a specialist HSE transplant team was taken from Dublin to a regional location and returned to the capital by AW 139 helicopter with the organs for transplant.

The mission was flown using night-vision goggles so that the helicopter could land as close as possible to the Mater Hospital, rather than at the Baldonnel Aerodrome. A spokesperson for the Air Corps said this saved the transplant team valuable time. He added that Air Corps pilots are the only pilots in Ireland authorised to fly using night-vision goggles.

The aircraft landed in the Army Sports Ground in the Phoenix Park at about 3am, less than 3kms from the operating rooms of the hospital. The landing site, which is a series of football pitches surrounded by a low-railing (waist-to-chest height) with a gate, is regularly used.

As the Irish Daily Mail report indicated, the route from the landing site to the awaiting ambulance was through the railing but the Defence Forces insisted it did not delay or impede the transfer.

“The media report of them “scaling a fence” is fanciful in the extreme,” it said in the statement.

The medical team were escorted by two of the air crew who were wearing night vision goggles and they were assisted in passing their equipment over the fence and then passed under the upper bar of the railing themselves.

A military escort party was also waiting outside the ground and assisted the medical team further to the waiting private ambulance.

Organ Transfer re-enactment
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  • Organ Transfer re-enactment

  • Organ Transfer re-enactment

A spokesperson for the Defence Forces added that the mission was carried out in accordance with a service level agreement between the departments of health and defence covering inter-hospital patient transfer and organ retrieval.

The Air Corps were also highly critical of the report revealing where the organs were being transported from. Commenting on the Irish Daily Mail’s front page, it added:

This media story does a great disservice to the men and women of the Air Corps who completed 71 Air Ambulance Missions in 2011 and 46 so far this year. Many of the heli Air Ambulance missions are flown and landed in difficult and highly technical conditions using night vision goggles so as to save as much time as possible for the transplant teams.

David Hall from Lifeline Ambulance Service, which organised the road transfer of the organs last week, said that while he admits the railing network was “not exceptionally difficult to deal with”, he continues to express concerns about the lack of coordination around organ transplant transfers. He said the HSE’s dedicated aeromedical desk needs to be established correctly so all communications can be channelled appropriately.

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34 Comments
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    Mute Martin Sinnott
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    Dec 27th 2018, 7:57 AM

    Another Quango with all the usual faces after consultancy companies are paid millions.

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    Mute Chin Feeyin
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    Dec 27th 2018, 9:43 AM

    @Martin Sinnott: you can see the future? Cool. Give us the winning Lotto numbers!

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    Mute Sarah
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    Dec 27th 2018, 11:03 AM

    @Chin Feeyin: He’s just making an educated guess I’d wager. Almost certainly right about it too….

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    Mute Trevor Hayden
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    Dec 27th 2018, 8:02 AM

    How convenient for FF and FG, hand picked by themselves no doubt, similar to the counting stations.

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    Mute Fear Uisce
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    Dec 27th 2018, 7:55 AM

    another quango, another job for Leo’s boys

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    Mute Chin Feeyin
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    Dec 27th 2018, 10:11 AM

    @Fear Uisce: well, it’s a public consultation, so get out your crayons and start writing.

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    Mute prop joe
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    Dec 27th 2018, 8:49 AM

    This has corruption written all over it. Make the system over bureaucratic to squeeze out smaller parties and censor political opponents.

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    Mute Willy Mc Caul
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    Dec 27th 2018, 9:44 AM

    FFG want total control..

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    Mute Adrian
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    Dec 27th 2018, 9:53 AM

    We know from experience that anything “independent” thats set up by our govs is really not independent at all.

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    Mute Gerard Heery
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    Dec 27th 2018, 9:28 AM

    Dictatorship on the cards by the looks of it ,never needed any one to overlook the elections since Bertie’s s voting machines and look at the mess and cost entailed

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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Dec 27th 2018, 6:15 PM

    @Gerard Heery: F.G. is learning using the film, The rise and rise of Michael Rimmer, as a guide?

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    Mute Dominic Leleu
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    Dec 27th 2018, 10:11 AM

    What a joke.

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    Mute Ianmoone
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    Dec 27th 2018, 10:41 AM

    More money down the drain for the EU and our globalist politicians to decide if our answer fits with theirs.

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    Mute paul kelly
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    Dec 27th 2018, 9:08 AM

    Along with using pps numbers this will stop the “home to vote” group.

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    Mute John Flood
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    Dec 27th 2018, 8:42 AM

    Perhaps some good could come from this like “vote by mail”, early voting, and voting on weekends.

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    Mute tommytukamomo
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    Dec 27th 2018, 9:06 AM

    @John Flood: it’s Ireland so I doubt it.

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    Mute Niall
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    Dec 27th 2018, 10:41 AM

    some comments on here really crack me up!! Hilarious!!

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    Mute Fergus Robson
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    Dec 27th 2018, 10:52 AM

    @Niall: literally all the swivel-eyes have come out for this one. Remarkable really the extent of uncomprehending hostility they exhibit while remaining almost totally clueless about the political and electoral process and why this is a positive change.

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    Mute Chin Feeyin
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    Dec 27th 2018, 12:41 PM

    @Fergus Robson: and most of them too young to vote!

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    Mute Frank McGlynn
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    Dec 27th 2018, 2:40 PM

    The role of the State in our democracy should be absolutely neutral as regards policies and parties. Funding for political parties favours the insiders i.e. the existing parties and puts new emerging parties at a disadvantage.

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    Mute marydebbie
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    Dec 27th 2018, 1:27 PM

    Like the ‘true results’ of the abortion referendum!!!!! Shower of liars :(

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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Dec 27th 2018, 6:14 PM

    Why???

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