Galway Bay fm newsroom - An ambulance service chief has hit back at claims that ambulance response targets across Galway are little more than 'fake news.'
City Councillor and health forum member Padraig Conneely raised the issue at Regional Health forum level this week.
He referred to a widely-publicised case in which a critically ill patient had to wait almost an hour on the side of the road in Connemara in recent weeks.
He said the 19 minute response time claim is 'fake news,' and the situation is outrageous.
Paudie O Riordan, Chief Ambulance Officer with the National Ambulance Service lashed out at the councillors claims, and asked him to withdraw his comment.
He says the 19-minute time frame is a target - and the ambulance service does its bets at all times to achieve that target.
However, Councillor Padraig Conneely says it's not good enough.