Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her outline of the services. The main issue is the paramedics in Kerry will tell one there are simply not enough ambulances. It is not the case that they were not there before; they were and they were withdrawn. The emergency ambulance in Millstreet was taken away. The second ambulance in Killarney was taken away. Will the Minister of State ask for a report on how much it costs us to have fewer ambulances? If one tracks the patients going through the system, one sees the extra stay as a result of the ambulance not arriving in time costs money. Unfortunately, in some cases, it costs lives. It is a simple fact that if the ambulance does not arrive in time for a heart attack or stroke patient, or at a car accident, the outcome will be fatal in some cases and tragic for the family in the long run in other cases. The reply does not state we have fewer ambulances. We have dynamic deployment but the paramedics tell me they cannot be everywhere. If they are in CUH when a call comes in, and the next nearest ambulance is in Caherciveen, which is 40 minutes away, this will lead to tragic outcomes. I ask the Minister of State for an evaluation and impact assessment on how much it costs over a one-year period. As one can see from the reports, ambulances in Kerry do not arrive within HIQA's guidelines and, therefore, the outcomes are tragic.