Galway Bay fm newsroom - The HSE has defended its response to the collapse of a patient in the emergency department at UHG last week.
It follows claims that it took staff several minutes to locate a resuscitation trolley when a man allegedly went into cardiac arrest.
According to the Irish Times, a couple visiting Galway were at the emergency department at UHG last Thursday afternoon when the incident occured.
They witnessed a man in his 50's, who was waiting to be called, get into difficulty and collapse, allegedly hitting his head on the floor with severe force.
The couple claims that while staff came to the assistance of the man, it was several moments before a resuscitation trolley arrived on the scene.
They also allege that the emergency department was not overly busy at the time.
In a statement to Galway Bay fm news, the HSE says at the time of the incident, the emergency department was very busy and congested.
It further says that the ED is outfitted with all necessary resuscitation equipment and the patient received immediate treatment before being admitted to an inpatient bed.
The incident follows the launch of an investigation into the discovery of a woman's body in a toilet at UHG during the August bank holiday weekend.
