A PARAMEDIC has been treated for a head injury after she was punched and bitten by a woman she was treating in Co. Tyrone.
The attack took place as an ambulance crew were responding to a medical emergency in Omagh yesterday.
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said attacks on crews are happening at a “totally unacceptable” rate of five a week.
In a statement, NIAS spokesman John McPoland said: "On arrival at the scene, a female paramedic was assaulted by the patient, who punched and bit her.
"The paramedic removed herself from the scene in an attempt to calm the situation, only to be attacked a second time by the patient she had arrived to help.
"This second assault resulted in the paramedic sustaining a head injury."
Mr McPoland said there is a “potential loss of life” if ambulance workers in Northern Ireland continue to be attacked on an almost daily basis.
"While this potential still exists, we are even more concerned about the impact of such assaults on the health and well-being of our staff,” he said.
"These assaults are not something our crews are able to forget about within minutes.
"We have evidence to show how the impact can be felt years later and the event relived at any moment in time."
The PSNI said they arrested a 20-year-old woman at the scene in Omagh, who went on to assault two of their officers.
A PSNI spokesperson said: "There is never an excuse for assaulting emergency service personnel.
"We stand firmly beside our colleagues in the Fire and Ambulance service - attacks on them will not be tolerated."
