A report by the HSE claims the National Ambulance Service needs 750 extra staff to enable it to meet official emergency response times while an additional 250 ambulances are also needed.
But it says the Irish system is “too rural” to be compared to performance in countries like England.
The figures show some ambulances are spending over 40 minutes at hospitals dropping off patients before becoming free with Clonmel second only to Cork.
David Hall, the CEO of Lifeline Ambulance says the report shows that lives are being put at risk due to the inadequacies of the system.
