Ballymena host meeting about Air Ambulance in memory of Dr John Hinds

Ballymena Today want to help promote an important petition which aims to bring a vital Air Ambulance service to Northern Ireland. The campaign for the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for Northern Ireland has been created as a tribute to Dr John Hinds who sadly lost his life in an accident while providing medical support at the Skerries 100 in Co.Dublin.

Photo via BBC.co.uk

Lets push ahead with Dr John Hinds campaign to get an Air Ambulance off the ground for Northern Ireland. Let’s make this a Lasting Tribute for an Exceptional Man. #HEMS4NI

Dr John Hinds is known in Northern Ireland as one of the “flying doctor” in Irish Road Racing. John was a consultant anaesthetist at Craigavon Area Hospital and was trained in pre-hospital trauma care and voluntarily gave medical support at motorcycle races in Northern Ireland and several races in the South.

Throughout his life, John campaigned for Northern Ireland to get its own air ambulance. Northern Ireland is still the only region of the UK without this service. Air Ambulances can respond to crisis faster and more effectively than any other type of ambulance- dramatically increasing a person’s chances of survival.

Two weeks ago John lost his life in an accident while providing medical support at the Skerries 100 in Co.Dublin. At John’s funeral his family and friends urged people to help make John’s dream of a first class trauma network with an emergency helicopter, a reality.

Please add your name to the petition and let’s honour John Hinds, who saved so many lives, by helping to save many more. (Source)

Click here to visit the petition which currently has the support of over 65,000 people. Please consider adding you name and help them to reach their target of 75,000 signatures and find more information on Twitter via @HEMS_NI.

A series of public consultation meetings to discuss the key HEMS issues will be held with one in Ballymena this Monday: