One of the leading emergency medicine specialists in Australia has warned that Ireland is "lagging behind" on trauma services.
Professor Mark Fitzgerald, Director of Trauma Services at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, has said that, if Ireland implements similar reforms to those carried out in the state of Victoria 20 years ago, he would expect to see significant improvements in patient outcomes.
Under Prof Fitzgerald's tenure at the Alfred Hospital, mortality rates from trauma injuries have halved.
Prof Fitzgerald is in Dublin to speak to colleagues at the Mater Hospital in Dublin, which is one of the hospitals hoping to win the bid to be the major trauma centre in the capital, under a major reform of the national trauma system.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Prof Fitzgerald said a hospital that is chosen as a trauma centre needs the right resources.
He said that, as well as saving lives, there are other benefits from having a specialised trauma centre.
"When you deal with trauma on a regular basis, your hospital stay reduces and there is a reduction in disability," he said.
The Dublin hospital has yet to be selected, while Cork University Hospital will be the major trauma centre for the south.
Minister for Health Simon Harris said the reforms would take seven years to implement and would cost around €30m.
Yesterday, an expert group established by the Health Service Executive and the Department of Health met for the first time to commence the implementation for the establishment of a National Office for Trauma Services.
Implementation of the trauma system is one of the health projects identified for Capital investment in Project Ireland 2020.
Around 1,600 patients suffer a major trauma each year - a serious injury after a fall, road traffic incident or other event.
Experts have said the reforms could increase survival rates following trauma by about 30%.
Each of the two major trauma centres would treat a minimum number of major trauma patients, in order to maintain a critical mass of specialist expertise.
