'Lives will be lost' if ambulance is not restored to top tourist area

A life will be lost if a second ambulance is not restored to a top tourist area, it has been claimed.

The latest incident involving the ambulance service in Kerry occurred on Saturday at Lissivigeen, outside Killarney, when four people had to be taken to hospital following a traffic accident.

Fianna Fáil councillor Anne McEllistrim yesterday said no ambulance was available in Killarney so they dispatched from Kenmare, Macroom, and Mallow. Two adults and two children were taken to Kerry General Hospital in Tralee, 30km away.

“This is the future that Killarney will continue to face without a second ambulance,’’ Ms McEllistrim said. “Time is always an issue and, for a town of its size, with an added influx of people during the tourist season, it will sooner or later come to pass where a life will be lost due to no ambulance being available.The warnings are there and need to be heeded now.”

Michael Healy-Rae (Ind) recently raised the issues surrounding the Killarney ambulance service in the Dáil with Health Minister James Reilly, while Fianna Fáil candidates in Kerry are making it a local elections issue. Mr Healy-Rae said the last remaining ambulance in Killarney is regularly called out of the county on calls to Cork, leaving the Killarney area without an emergency vehicle. He said the Killarney ambulance had to leave Kerry five times over two consecutive days this month to calls in Kanturk, Co Cork. Mr Healy-Rae claimed the problem is being caused by the removal of the Millstreet ambulance, adding that the situation is unacceptable and could cost lives in Kerry.

A National Ambulance Service spokeswoman said deployment of ambulance resources ensures the nearest appropriate resource is mobilised to the location of an incident.

She said the service has introduced an intermediate care service to provide transport for patients between hospitals and medical facilities to reduce reliance on an emergency ambulance. “This service has been introduced in Killarney as patient transfers and low acuity calls were previously undertaken by an emergency ambulance on an overtime basis,” she said.