Cllr Declan Burgess is urging the Minister for Health to intervene in the handling of cuts to non-emergency transport services for patients attending Tipperary University Hospital(TUH) in Clonmel.
The Cashel based councillor says he is deeply concerned by what he calls “the regrettable removal of some outpatient hospital transport services in the South Tipperary area.” The HSE says the cuts must be made due to financial constraints. Cllr Burgess highlights that transport cancellations are not only causing significant anxiety but are also compromising access to essential healthcare for many vulnerable and elderly patients.
The changes to the criteria for the scheme seem to have occurred without clear communication to patients or healthcare professionals, without adequate alternatives being provided and the HSE’s revised criteria now place additional barriers on patients aged under 75 or those not undergoing specific treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation according to the councillor.
Cllr Burgess is making 3 requests of Minister Carroll MacNeill – an immediate review of the eligibility criteria in the South East region to ensure equity and fairness, a guarantee of continuity of transport services for vulnerable outpatients who do not meet the newly applied criteria but nonetheless face significant access challenges, and that the HSE provide transparency regarding the decision-making process and budgetary allocations that led to these changes.
