A stricken diver off the Tobermory coast has become the first casualty to be airlifted 180 miles for oxygen therapy since NHS funding was withdrawn from the hyperbaric chamber at Dunstaffnage.
The man, who was part of an organised British Sub-Aqua Club expedition, was flown by Coastguard helicopter to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and is doing well after treatment at its hyperbaric chamber - the nearest available one now for much of the west coast of Scotland.
Tobermory’s all-weather lifeboat was first to the scene, 8.5 miles southwest of Tobermory on April 10 where the sick diver was quickly brought aboard and given casualty care before the helicopter arrived.
The incident has highlighted even more the urgency to get the hyperbaric chamber at Dunstafnnage re-opened with renewed NHS support.
If the chamber had been open, it would have taken about half-an-hour on the lifeboat to reach help - instead it took about two hours by air to get to the east coast hospital.
Andy Hunt is National Expeditions Officer for the British Sub-Aqua Club and was leading the trip when one of its divers started showing ’routine’ symptoms of the Bends, which he and the charter boat skipper Bob Halton both believe could have been dealt with at Dunstaffnage.
"It just seems a nut decision to have taken this service away, it doesn’t make sense," said Mr Hunt who added its closure could impact on deciding where future club expeditions go next. "When I first heard about it, I thought it’s sod’s law something will happen now - and it did. If there hadn’t been a helicopter available, it would have involved a five hour trip by road. Even with the helicopter, it’s not just the patient more at risk because of the longer journey but the air crew as well - because of the decompression sickness they have to fly lower through the valleys which is more hazardous than going higher over the mountains," he told The Oban Times.
Mr Hunt, who is also backing the reinstatement campaign, said without the Dunstaffnage chamber the ’golden hour’ to give divers the best chance of recovery was non-existent.
Dr Martin Sayer, chief executive of company Tritonia that ran the chamber before the NHS support was pulled, said more than 5,000 people had now signed the online petition at www.change.org/SaveObanChamber
There has also been good engagement with politicians who are helping fight the cause, added Dr Sayer, and messages of support have included letters of concern from the military, he said.
However, Dr Sayer said he was still waiting to hear from NHS Grampian about the current situation and how it could be changed.
An NHS Grampian spokesperson said following suspension of the NHS service in Oban "some additional issues came to light" so they are offering support to Tritonia "to address these to everyone’s satisfaction".
The health authority now needs to take advice from its own procurement team and NHS National Services, which commissions the Scottish hyperbaric service, regarding any fresh tendering process to run the chamber.
The NHS spokesperson added: "We remain in regular dialogue with the team at Tritonia to arrange a site visit. Once a mutually convenient date is identified, a full programme for the visit will be agreed with them. We understand the depth of concern locally regarding this issue.
"We want to stress our priority at all times is the safety of those treated in hyperbaric chambers. This is why we have offered the support and expertise of our teams to support Tritonia to address the issues identified."
Regarding the airlifted diver, the spokesperson said: "While we cannot discuss individual patients, it must be understood there have always been transfers from west to east, even before the NHS service in Oban was suspended in January. Aberdeen houses the only Category 1 chamber in Scotland, therefore the most seriously unwell have always come here.
"The suspension of the NHS service in Oban does not change that."
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