19 Minute wait time for Ambulance

The waiting time for an ambulance in Cavan and Monaghan is on average 19 minutes.
In 2016, there were over 70,000 emergency calls for an ambulance in the North Leinster area, which includes Cavan and Monaghan, according to the HSE, who released the details following a Parliamentary Question tabled by local TD, Fianna Fáil's Niamh Smyth.
It follows recent reports highlighted in the media that some patients in the region have faced lengthy delays before emergency response has arrived. It's claimed a father-of-two in his 40s from neighbouring Monaghan, who died last month after suffering a cardiac arrest, was forced to wait more than an hour before an ambulance attended the scene.His family have now called for a heart unit to be installed locally to prevent any further loss of lives. 

Sinn Féin TD for Sligo, Leitrim, West Cavan and South Donegal, Martin Kenny, called on the government to take a proactive and urgent approach to the failures and problems with the National Ambulance Service.“Theproblems in the National Ambulance Service are exacerbated in rural areas, like my constituency. Capacity must be increased with more staff, ambulances and better technology.'

“The people working in the service will testify that the way it is organised, the nearest ambulance to an incident is not necessarily the one deployed. The result is that people are sometimes waiting over an hour for assistance and this is particularly common in rural areas. A review of deployment protocols is essential.â€

Earlier this year Fianna Fail Senator Robbie Gallagher made a similar call. He said there is 'palpable' fear among people in Monaghan and Cavan a delay will occur following an ambulance call-out resulting in an otherwise avoidable fatality. 'Ambulance response times in Monaghan and Cavan are well outside the recommended levels. Indeed, the same applies in the north-east region generally,' he said.