Ambulance Service Problems Must be Addressed

It has come to my attention that earlier this week two ambulances from Longford attended calls in county Roscommon because of lack of resources there. That meant that Longford was left without any ambulance cover for a short time. This is a totally unacceptable situation and I aand my colleagues have been highlighting this situation on an ongoing basis for the past 12 months and nothing is being done. It is not an exaggeration to say that lives are being put at risk because of a lack of resources in this area and once again I am calling on the Minister and the HSE to provide the funding needed for an adequate ambulance service for this area. The Loughglynn base is still not operational and I am once again calling for the funding to be provided so that Loughglynn can become a stand alone service with it’s own ambulances. Will it take a major tragedy to happen in this region for the Minister and the HSE to come to their senses? The ambulance staff are doing a wonderful job under severe pressure but there is only so much they can do. It is time this issue was resolved once and for all.