A PETITION calling for an air ambulance in Northern Ireland which was set up following the tragic death of trauma doctor, Dr John Hinds, was nudging 50,000 signatures yesterday.
Dr Hinds, who worked in Craigavon Area Hospital, was a fierce supporter of a dedicated, doctor-led emergency helicopter service and had campaigned tirelessly for its introduction in the north.
His heart-broken partner Dr Janet Acheson led the calls yesterday ahead of his funeral service in Portaferry, saying it was her soulmate's dream to see a modern helicopter emergency medical service up and running in Northern Ireland.
The 35-year-old consultant was a leading light in the field of pre-hospital trauma care and had just returned from a medical conference in Chicago last week where he gave a lecture on trauma medicine to consultants from around the world.
Click here to sign the petition
A Change.org petition continues to gather momentum - more than 40,700 people had added their names yesterday after attracting more than 26,000 signatures in less than 24 hours after it was set up.
Earlier this week Belfast-born television presenter Eamonn Holmes added his voice to the campaign and yesterday SDLP Foyle MLA Pat Ramsay said he would be pursuing the matter with Health Minister Simon Hamilton as there would be "no more fitting tribute" to Dr Hinds than to fund this "crucial project".
The campaign has also impacted across the globe, with emergency doctors and nurses as far away as Australia joining in the tributes.
One online contributor to the 'Life in the FastLane' medical blog said John was "irreverent, impossibly funny, devastatingly incisive” and that medical professionals who heard his recent lecture in Chicago “knew that here was a man who would change the future".
Dr John Hinds: 1980-2015
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