Ambulance paramedic shortages
Deputy Cahill warned that ambulance services are at breaking point because paramedic numbers are dangerously low. The Minister said he would raise the matter with the Health Minister and noted the importance of response times, especially in rural areas.
The issue I want to raise is about our ambulance services. I have raised in this House many times the huge distances that our ambulances have to travel. The point I want to make today is about the critical level of paramedics operating in the service at the moment. It is putting the service at a dangerously low level. It is at breaking point. We urgently need to recruit paramedics for our ambulance service.
Comment on this
I thank Deputy Cahill for raising this. I know he has been raising it and bringing it to the fore as a TD for Tipperary. I will certainly pass on to the Minister for Health the fact that the Deputy has raised it here today. I know the Deputy raises it on an ongoing basis. It is something the Government is looking to prioritise. It is an important service. Response times are crucial for good outcomes in rural areas in particular. I will certainly engage with the Minister on Deputy Cahill's behalf, subsequent to him raising it here today.