Residents of five Irish counties are more than half an hour’s drive from the nearest hospital emergency department, new research shows. Counties Carlow, Leitrim and Donegal are the worst-served Irish counties for access to emergency department, the analysis based on Eircode data reveals. On average, Carlow residents are 40km from the nearest ED, equivalent to a 37-minute drive during off-peak times. Leitrim fares only slightly better with the county’s inhabitants, on average, 39km from emergency health services. Louth, Kilkenny, Meath and Limerick are also relatively well served by dint of being near to a hospital offering emergency care.

Source: The Irish Times January 07, 2019 00:56 UTC