Thousands to protest ambulance cutbacks

Campaigners fighting changes to the West Cork ambulance service are planning a mass rally before taking their protest to the doors of Munster’s largest hospital.

They hope the rally will bring thousands of campaigners on to the streets ahead of a protest outside Cork University Hospital.

The HSE wants to move from the current on-call system, which it has described as “archaic”, to an on-duty system it says will ensure the ambulance service can meet strict Hiqa guidelines on response times.