Cutbacks ‘putting rural lives at risk’

THE spectre of someone suffering a heart attack, or another life-threatening illness, or being involved in a serious accident in a remote part of the South-West is fuelling concerns about likely cutbacks in ambulance services.

Areas of the Beara Peninsula, in West Cork, and the Iveragh Peninsula, Co Kerry, are up to 90 minutes travelling time from emergency departments in Cork and Tralee hospitals.

Time taken to reach a hospital can be a matter of matter of life or death, and delays can have fatal consequences, local campaigners say.