Mary Lou McDonald criticised Micheál Martin’s response to the 24-hour ambulance strike which ended at 8am on Wednesday.

The Department of Health has said it is ‘regrettable’ the strike has gone ahead and that the industrial action would have a significant impact.

Today's strike is expected to be followed by a 48-hour stoppage from May 19th and a 72-hour stoppage from May 26th

Siptu and Unite union members at the National Ambulance Service are taking part in a 24-hour strike in a dispute over pay.

Whether they call for an ambulance, reach out to primary care, friends or family or are alone, they need to make sure that they do not delay seeking help if they feel they need it, he told RTÉ radio’s Today with David McCullagh show.

Emergency medical technicians and paramedics began 24-hour strike action on Tuesday morning.

The strike involves pickets at ambulance depots which began at 8am, including at Davitt Road in Dublin South Central.

General Secretary of the Unite the Union, Sharon Graham, said Irish paramedics have been left ‘with no option but to take action’.

Industrial action by members of the Siptu and Unite unions will take place on Monday and Tuesday.

Almost 2,000 SIPTU members in the NAS voted overwhelmingly last week for strike action relating to a dispute over updated salary scales within the service.

The Taoiseach has been asked to investigate a report of a ‘misogynistic and toxic culture’ in the National Ambulance Service (NAS).

What began as a routine Thursday afternoon quickly descended into a nightmare 

The PSNI say officers responded to reports of a “concern for safety” at an address in the Cromwell Road area on Wednesday.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the case was an example of the ‘severe crisis’ in the ambulance service

Ambulances took more than an hour to respond to more than 1,500 emergency calls in the first half of this year

A full investigation has been launched into how the cows came to be on the road.

Ambulances have been damaged by deer and even a flock of racing pigeons in recent years.

An air ambulance was eventually sent to the scene from Co Cork by which time a road ambulance had become available

The rule, reportedly signed off last Friday, means paramedics would have to leave their vehicles at a central location after their shift and drive home in their own cars, even if they are on call the next day

Deputy Kerrane has repeatedly raised the issue of staffing in the local ambulance service

Police and ambulance services were attending the scene near Carrowdore in Co Down.

In some cases, delays of up to four hours were reported following calls to the National Ambulance Service

Tina Doran is urging everyone to get their blood pressure checked after she suffered a second health scare

The parents of Conor Naughton, who was then four years old, had to pay for a private ambulance to transport their son from Wexford General Hospital to Dublin for surgery