Irish Taxi Forum
Public Area => Taxi Talk => Topic started by: john m on April 09, 2021, 08:39:13 am
-
RI, 09 APR, 2021 - 07:13
GREG MURPHY
The Health Service Executive says HSE vehicles and their staff are prioritised for front-line emergency work.
New figures, released under the Freedom of Information Act, show the HSE spent €27m on taxi services last year.
Over €6m was spent in the northeast alone.
The HSE says taxis are used for transporting renal dialysis patients or moving medical files from one hospital to another.
The organisation says taxis are more useful for patients who are not seriously ill.
David Hall, the Chief Executive of Lifeline Ambulance Service, says the money is well spent.
Mr Hall said: "The HSE is only paying for services as and when it requires it. It's not paying for services to hang around and wait in the intervening period.
"It is a national service all over the country. Significant numbers of patients would be coming for dialysis giving them some security and also the taxi staff would be great at helping the staff in and out of the hospitals releasing the HSE staff.
"I think all and all it presents good value for money, good flexibility and good access nighttime and daytime."
The HSE says there was a €3m reduction in the taxi spend last year, partly due to the pandemic.
It says taxis are more cost-effective than buying new vehicles in these cases.
-
10% rise please
-
Still waiting for the last one....
-
An on Call service .Now who was it said the so called reps should ask the Minister for 2K a man so we could maintain our cars and insure them so we could be available .
-
RI, 09 APR, 2021 - 07:13
GREG MURPHY
The Health Service Executive says HSE vehicles and their staff are prioritised for front-line emergency work.
New figures, released under the Freedom of Information Act, show the HSE spent €27m on taxi services last year.
Over €6m was spent in the northeast alone.
The HSE says taxis are used for transporting renal dialysis patients or moving medical files from one hospital to another.
The organisation says taxis are more useful for patients who are not seriously ill.
David Hall, the Chief Executive of Lifeline Ambulance Service, says the money is well spent.
Mr Hall said: "The HSE is only paying for services as and when it requires it. It's not paying for services to hang around and wait in the intervening period.
"It is a national service all over the country. Significant numbers of patients would be coming for dialysis giving them some security and also the taxi staff would be great at helping the staff in and out of the hospitals releasing the HSE staff.
"I think all and all it presents good value for money, good flexibility and good access nighttime and daytime."
The HSE says there was a €3m reduction in the taxi spend last year, partly due to the pandemic.
It says taxis are more cost-effective than buying new vehicles in these cases.
Can you imagine if they paid the full fare, insisted the taxi companies didn't take exorbitant commissions, how much the drivers providing the dangerous service would actually get?
I wonder what sort of "inducements" HSE staff got from the taxi companies over the years as part of the lobbying for contracts. It's not like there's an open tender every year.