Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the ambulance service and the crisis within it. The crisis is driven by a lack of investment and development over the last number of years. There is no doubt that the staff in the ambulance service are 100% committed to it. It has been said by other speakers, but bears repeating. They are highly trained and the development of advanced paramedics over the last number of years is very significant. It means ambulance crews can respond fully when they arrive on scene. Unfortunately, cases like the tragic one we saw in Carndonagh in Donegal in recent months, where a woman injured in a car accident lay on the side of the road waiting for an ambulance, are too common across rural Ireland. These situations drive this motion. We cannot allow them to continue. It is symptomatic of what has happened to our health services across the board. A lack of investment and a lack of funding is causing the crisis. There are not enough ambulance crews available to respond to emergency calls. That the number of active-service ambulances has reduced by 55 since 2008 shows the crisis that exists.

In south-west Donegal, there is an ambulance station in Killybegs and one in Donegal town. There used to be two ambulances on call at each but now there is only one ambulance on call at each with a further one to travel over and back between the two to provide cover. It is a reduction in service no matter what way one looks at it. The best possible response time from Killybegs to a call from Glencolmcille is 30 to 35 minutes. There is no way national targets and HIQA standards can be met in rural parts of Ireland with the level of ambulances and crews we have. That is the problem that must be addressed. The only way to deal with this is to provide the necessary ambulances and crews. Crews are highly trained and dedicated and will play their part in saving the lives of our citizens if we step up to the mark to provide for the service into the future.

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