Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Of the expanding number of crises emerging from this Government the most life-threatening is the ambulance crisis. Two weeks ago “Prime Time” broadcast an excellent programme on the collapsing ambulance service. The details were shocking. In 2008 there were 320 ambulances in this State. Last year that dropped to 265, only 137 during the day and 113 at night. That is when the staff are there to drive them. In 2012, a total of 21,000 shift hours were dropped and 14,500 last year. The State has half the number of paramedics per capitacompared to the North or Scotland. The National Ambulance Service is failing miserably to meet its Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, targets. Last year fewer than 30% of people with life-threatening conditions received an on time response. This compares with 75% in England and Scotland. Ambulance staff regularly have to go out on their own which leads to poor outcomes and injury to themselves. Gardaí are now being asked to go to emergencies and ascertain whether there is a need for an ambulance. These are people who may have had first aid training in Templemore 20 years ago and are now being asked to make a clinical decision on whether they must rush an individual to hospital in their cars or wait for an ambulance.

In the past 12 months I have received approximately 35 reports in my county of the ambulance being late for people in serious emergency situations. I reckon that other Deputies have heard similar reports. Seven of these people died. Will the Minister agree that a person dying for an hour on the roadside while waiting for an ambulance is unacceptable? Will he confirm his commitment to making sure these cuts are reversed? How many deaths will it take before the Government reverses the cuts?

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