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Hospital spent €1.3m on private
ambulances
14.09.16
LETTERKENNY University
Hospital forked out €1.3m on private ambulance
services last year – a rise of €707,000 on 2014, new
figures show.
Inishowen-based Donegal TD., Charlie McConalogue
described the HSE bill as "staggering" saying it is
"simply not sustainable".
He urged Health Minister Simon Harris to provide
additional ambulances to reduce the costs incurred
by the county's acute hospital.
"I have expressed concerns about ambulance provision
in Donegal over the past number of years but the
Government has continued to ignore the problem.
“We are talking about a huge increase in costs for
private ambulance hire in a one year period. If we
had a properly funded public ambulance service this
money could be spent on tackling ED overcrowding,
waiting lists and staffing issues." |
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Letterkenny University Hospital. |
The local deputy said
he has contacted Mr Harris seeking "a guarantee that
Donegal will have adequate ambulance cover to cater
for the large geographic area and to service
Letterkenny University Hospital".
“Minister Harris recently visited LUH and saw
first-hand the stress that staff and services are
under. Funding has always been a problem, but now we
learn than over €1m was spent on private ambulances
last year.
"This is simply not sustainable. Letterkenny
University Hospital is the hub of our health service
in Donegal and it needs to be properly supported at
government level. I will be doing all I can to
ensure the minister makes this happen.” |
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