New figures showing ambulance response times in Kerry are alarming.
That’s according to Ted Kenny of SIPTU, which represents ambulance staff.
Figures from the National Ambulance Service, provided to Sinn Féin's David Cullinane, show people in Kerry and Cork are waiting an extra 13 minutes on average for an ambulance, compared to 2019.
Nationally, the average response time for ambulances to reach life-threatening emergencies has increased by 50% in three years.
A patient who's having a medical emergency is waiting nine minutes longer for an ambulance with response times for the most serious emergency calls delayed from 18 minutes in 2019 to 27 minutes last year.
Ted Kenny says it’s clear that ambulance services are under resourced, adding 1,200 extra paramedics will be needed over the next three to five years.
However, Mr Kenny says turnaround times at University Hospital Kerry have helped improve ambulance response times in the county:
