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Well, look, first of all, we had a very positive meeting today with personnel involved. In fairness,
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we are well aware that we have a serious concern that regards our ambulance services to all
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the county. I want to compliment the staff who are doing fabulous, fantastic work under severe
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pressure, which is not good enough for them. We are well aware that we have a very big
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county, serious concern in Western art, clear that they are not getting the proper cover
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at the moment. And I'm well aware that this is something I've been working on for the last
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12 months since I got elected, was improved health services within the county.
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My belief today is where the positive outcome, where we were taught as going to be by the
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national ambulance service that was kind of confirmed. The 20-no frontline emergency
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care staff will be paying attention clear in 2026. There's also a number of no ambulance comments
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to the county as well. So that's our positive notion and we're also kind of as confirmed
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as today. Going into 2027, 20 years, there'll be massive improvements as well in our ambulance
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services, which in the county and also in the Midwest region. This was a meeting between their
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doctors, members from the Midwest region with your official from the ambulance service and
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that was the information was given to us today, Sean. So a number of additions to the ambulance
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fleet as well as the staffing of the service across county clear. And of course you mentioned
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the deficits that I are planning to see and are very acutely felt by the people of West
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and North clear, how far will this announcement today go to addressing that issue?
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My belief is we'll be a massive improvement. Again, as I said,
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there is times during the day and during the week that we don't have proper ambulance services
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which in the different stations throughout the county. And I'm well aware of incidents where
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an ambulance has been called. You might have in a half an hour an hour and a lot of times
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you might have to wear a couple of hours for us. That's not a good enough service to be
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given. And we have been, they've been confirmed to us today that that service is partisan at the
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moment. Now you're good enough for the people of our county in the Midwest region. This has
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happened more than in our county and clear. It's happening in the Midwest region, but that service
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is going to be enhanced to make sure that there will be a better health service for the people
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of our county gone forward. And my belief is with the extra staff with no ambulance coming in
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to the county that she will make a massive difference gone forward. Do we have clarity on the
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timeline for this Joe? Do we know when the new staff will take up their posts and when the
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ambulances will be in service in clear? Yes, it's going to happen in 2026. From June 9th,
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we have been told confirmed. Yes, it will be happening gone forward. So yes, it's the answer.
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It will be happening in 2026 to staff and no ambulances. And after that gone forward then
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there's going to be a continued improved ambulance service gone forward into 27 and 20 years. And also
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we have raided the boat. The condition is somewhere the ambulance has, especially our
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ambulance station, especially the warning Kilvosh. And that's been taken on board as well.
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We've all well aware, this ambulance station need to be upgraded, need to be brought to Papa
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Standard. And even we will talk today to the possibility that in the future we will be
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we could be getting a no ambulance station in Kilvosh, which is vital and important as well.
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And of course, this news today comes off the back of the health minister, Jennifer
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Karl McNeil's announcement earlier this month of a new hospital campus in Rahin County,
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Limerick, news that caused much disappointment in county Claire among many who had been
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campaigning for a hospital campus in Claire. And of course, there was also disappointment expressed
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as the health minister's indication that the option three of the Hickory reports, the new A and E
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for the Midwest could be on that Rahin campus, of course, as I say, people advocating for a
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long time for that to be in Ennis. And when Claire Femme put out this news today, that's there were
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expansions on the way for the national ambulance service in Claire. We had some people saying that
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it won't make the difference that's needed because we don't have an A and E in the county
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for people to be brought to. What would you say to that? Well, in fairness to the health minister,
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she did say that there was going to be improved health services pushing to the county. She did,
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she has commissioned to come in and visit in the county. We're going to wait to see what she'll
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say when she visits the county, but no, there is going to be improvement in our health services.
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That's vital and important. So there will also be, as I mentioned, improvement in the ambulance
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service, which is vital and important. But again, the people Claire deserves a proper health system.
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And my believe is, when we were downgraded in 2009, as they said in the national hospital,
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we were taught that time, we would be getting a cent of excellence. Now we're going into 2026
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and these are not going to have happened only more downgrading of different services.
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As our main concern shines, this has to change. The Minister's Commission will change.
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And my believe is, okay, we are not to see a normal model three. I'm at the four hospital built
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in this, I've been in the county, wherever the case may be. I'm not sure whether that's going
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to happen or not in the future, but we're aware of the 44-acre site is posthus in where he and,
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but again, it's important that the people of Claire have a proper health service.
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Are you actively lobbying for that, A&E, to be in clear with your engagements with the health
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Minister? But I'm lobbying for is, I'm lobbying if we have proper health services for the people
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whether the locations in Claire are in limelight, but the people in Claire and the people of the
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Midwest region need proper health services. We have been proud of this and hadn't proper health
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services since 2009. We shall hardly agree on going on. That's not good enough for the people
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of any area. And I will be lobbying with the Minister that does proper services, pushing players
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that people can easily get to them, that we have a proper ambulance service in place, which is
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right and important, and the people won't be concerned about physician, rather than the campus
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you wish. I mean, it's general hospital, wherever the case may be, in the future, in order to
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assess health services.