Pa Daly, Sinn Féin TD for Kerry, calls for an urgent review of the National Ambulance Service after hearing about unacceptable delays when responding to life-threatening events.
Teachta Daly said that a recently published report notes that on more than 300 occasions in the first six months of 2021, ambulances turned up more than one hour after being called to attend to a life-threatening event.
19 Minute Target Time
“The target response time for such events is 19 minutes and Kerry is one of the counties where most of the delays occur, along with Wexford and Cork,” said Teachta Daly.
“These three counties account for over one third of the hour-plus response times to a life-threatening event nationwide.
“A breakdown of the reasons such excessive delays were observed noted that long distances were to blame in 249 cases.
Life-Threatening Mission Diverted
“Even more concerning, in thirty-four cases, an ambulance already en route to a life-threatening event was stood down for a more serious incident.
“There have been too many close calls and I regularly hear about people with serious and potentially life-threatening illness being forced to find alternative means to travel to hospital.
“The Minister for Health must review the National Ambulance Service as a priority and make the necessary changes to address these unacceptable delays,” Teachta Daly concluded.
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