Mattie McGrath: Calls Centralised Ambulance Dispatch a 'Disaster'

Martin McGrath. I, too, have thanks for this motion. This situation has gone from bad to worse. Paramedics were telling me a number of years ago at a retirement due one night that he left because of utter confusion and disgraceful call-outs and ridiculousness of it. He was called out one day actually to leave Clonmel and head for Carrigan Shure. When he inquired heading to Carrigan Shure, oh, Carrigan head for Waterford. When he, near Waterford, oh, Carrigan head for New Ross. When New Ross Carrigan head for, um, head for Innskarty. He was almost within five minutes of Innskarty and he was stood down. It's a triage system. That's the 100 miles minister. It's a triage system that they're doing over the phone or whatever kind of a triage they have. And he says, patience. He didn't know, or never knew. There was a man falling into Sweden in Innskarty and he was there two hours waiting for an ambulance. Such a trauma and anguish. You should be utterly ashamed of yourself, Minister for Health and General Ministers as well. You know this is going on better than anyone. But you just want to have the trick of the loop is that once the call has gone in at two minutes past nine, ambulance dispatch at four minutes past nine. A paper exercise. The ambulance could be 200 miles away. It could be from Galway to Tipperary. It could be from Tipperary up to Sligo. That's how ridiculous it is. Burning out ambulances. I salute the paramedics and the professionals of them. But the hours they work, and then they're coming back to return home after a long shift, they get a car to go elsewhere again. They're being black-headed. They're being bullied. They're being destroyed. Their morale and their abuse. And working time directives and respect for people who are working in jobs, it's not happening. The system has failed and failed utterly. And you have failed as well. And then the Minister comes in and comes in and comes in and comes in and says, yes, he's comical every day because he answers no questions. Then you lined up with him during the Minister as well. I don't know what we describe you as. I'm going to say nothing. Or I might end up some person in the tribunal. But it's ridiculous and it's scandalous the way that you're treating the paramedics, but of all the contempt you have for your electorate. The contempt that you have for your electorate in East Galway, Minister, West Galway, and indeed in Roscommon and all over the country. Nothing other than contempt for the people that voted for you and voted for Minister Donnelly as well. And I know some of the late Count she got in, but you won't look after the people. Get rid of this Dublin. When we had local controls, the Tipperary had their own control. They managed fine and the ambulances did a good job and timely response and everybody was reasonably happy. Now it's a central control disaster.