A West Cork TD says the lack of ambulance cover in West Cork is putting lives in danger and is leading to burnout among National Ambulance Service staff in the area.
Michael Collins was speaking in the Dáil yesterday where he told Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that while the region has four ambulances, crews from Clonakilty, Castletownbere, Bantry and Skibbereen are frequently tasked to calls in the city, Kerry, Tipperary and Waterford.
Deputy Collins says the reality is that West Cork has just two-part time ambulances at times due to delays getting patients into hospitals.
Speaking in the Dáil, Michael Collins says there are even times when the whole of West Cork has no ambulance cover.
"The Clonakility ambulance is in Cork city most days, the Castletownbere ambulance is in Kerry, leaving just two ambulances to cover the whole of west Cork - geographically the longest county in the country at 132kms long.
"When the Skibbereen and Bantry ambulances get a call in any area in west Cork, they are instructed no matter how big or small the medical issue is to take the patient to CUH, in many cases bypassing Bantry General Hospital who could easily sort the problems.
"The likelihood is that these ambulances arrive at CUH and can't take the patient into the hospital."
