A Donegal deputy has
described "a series of alarming delays" in the
response time of ambulances to local emergencies.
Deputy Charlie McConalogue said: "Official figures
show that last year, only one in every three people
with life-threatening conditions were responded to
within the target time.
"The situation is worse in more rural areas. Large
parts of the country, including Donegal, have often
been left without any ambulance cover for long
periods of time. And lives are being put at risk as
a result."
The Dáil will debate a Fianna Fáil motion this week
which raises concerns about "a growing crisis in the
ambulance service". The party said hard-working and
dedicated paramedics were being "undermined" by
national policy.
“The centralisation of ambulance control and
dispatch has led to serious inconsistencies in
ambulance cover and a lack of local knowledge when
it comes to responding to emergencies.
"This has meant that our local ambulances are often
sent to another county for emergencies, leaving
large parts of Co Donegal without any cover
whatsoever. It’s an extremely dangerous situation,"
added Deputy McConalogue.
He said the Republic of Ireland had less than 1,600
ambulance staff and a budget of €137million to cover
a population of 4.6 million. He said Scotland had
three times as many ambulance staff and just under
twice the budget that we have here.
“This week in the Dáil, Fianna Fáil is asking TDs
from all parties to stand up for our local ambulance
service and ensure that it gets the basic resources
it needs to respond safely to emergencies. People
have a right to expect that they will receive a safe
and timely response in the event of life-threatening
emergencies,” he added. |
