SF slams Dublin patient's two-hour wait for ambulance

Sinn Féin have attacked the Government following reports that a patient had to wait for more than three hours for an ambulance last night.

Relatives of the patient, who was in the Knocklyon area of Dublin, first called for an ambulance at around 5.15pm.

They then had to make at least four subsequent calls before an ambulance was finally dispatched at around 8.40pm.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said it was "obscene" that a patient would have to wait that long.

"A lot of people in rural Ireland will say they are disadvantaged because of their travel distance from hospitals and they'll point out that in the cities, and particularly (in Dublin) you’re within a very short distance of most hospitals," he said.

"For someone to wait and for family members to have to make multiple calls because there was a shortage (of ambulances) shows the absolute obscenity of the Government's position."

He said public services were affected by the Government policy on debt and economic management.