A Tralee councillor has asked Kerry County Council to demand answers from the HSE after it was reported that there were no ambulances stationed in Kerry on St Stephen's night.
Labour councillor Terry O'Brien brought an emergency motion to the Tralee Municipal District meeting after Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae raised the issue two weeks ago.
Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae made the claim a fortnight ago that the ambulance services of Dingle, Listowel, Cahersiveen, Killarney, Tralee and Kenmare were all on call-outs outside the county.
In a statement, the HSE said that 34 emergency calls were responded to in Kerry between 7am and midnight on St Stephen’s Day, with 26 patients transported to Kerry University Hospital.
However, the statement did not clarify whether those ambulances were stationed in Kerry or if they had travelled from outside the county.
At the Tralee MD meeting, Cllr Terry O'Brien said it was scandalous that people in West Kerry could be waiting up to two and a half hours for an ambulance that was coming from outside the county and asked that the council contact the HSE for clarification.
The HSE has also been called on to carry out an immediate review of the service in rural areas.
Fianna Fáil councillor Mikey Sheehy supported Terry O'Brien's emergency motion.
