HSE defends cutting patients’ transport

THE HSE last night defended the decision to slash its budget for ferrying patients to hospitals for lifesaving treatment, saying that some people could make their own way to clinics.

The cuts are expected to affect thousands of ill people across the country.

The budget reduction of 25% from €36 million to €26m annually, which comes into effect next month, will vary from one health region to the next, according to Brian Gilroy, the HSE’s national director of integrated services.