Treatment Fund 'taken aback' at taxi story

A spokesperson for the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has expressed surprise at a doctor's comments to the media that money was unnecessarily paid for a taxi journey to transport a patient from Dublin to Limerick for treatment.

In a statement today, the NTPF spokesperson said: "An older lady who had been waiting nine months from the time she was diagnosed for an eye operation by a consultant was transported for specialised laser procedure which required an overnight stay and a general anaesthetic in Barringtons Hospital in Limerick.