More than 1,000 people have backed an online petition calling for the reinstatement of Oban’s hyperbaric chamber.
Since news broke of NHS funding being pulled from the clinical support for sick divers out at the Dunstaffnage facility, letters and messages of support have been flooding in, says Dr Martin Sayer, chief executive of Tritonia, the company that runs the chamber.
He said: "We have received a lot of letters of support, plus the news has gone out to the main recreational diving bodies ScotSAC and BSAC."
Dr Sayer is also collating all the letters into a single document which will be sent to Argyll’s MP Brendan O’Hara and MSP Jenni Minto who also expressed serious concerns about the loss of the facility and the impact it will have on divers as well as diving sector businesses.
A Change.org petition had about 1,350 signatures in just 24 hours of it being launched. The clinical support that was available included five doctors trained in diving and hyperbaric medicine who were on call 24/7.
You can see it here.
Dr Sayer continued: "There has been no communication from NHS Grampian or the National Services Division. We still have no detail as to what changes need to be made in order to lift the suspension, and no dates for the review that they said would take place in April."
Mike Morgan from Puffin Dive Centre at Gallanach, Oban says the NHS had "not fully grasped" the importance of Oban having the extremely useful and valuable resource.
British Hyperbaric Association chairperson Dr Doug Watts said the Oban team of specialist doctors were "highly experienced and very well respected within the UK and beyond."
He added: "Over the years the Oban team have treated hundreds of divers, saving lives and preventing life changing disability. In doing so they have provided essential support to commercial diving operations and the recreational diving industry."
Yes! I would like to be sent emails from West Coast Today
I understand that my personal information will not be shared with any third parties, and will only be used to provide me with useful targeted articles as indicated.
I'm also aware that I can un-subscribe at any point either from each email notification or on My Account screen.