The Health Service Executive (HSE) cannot reuse its crutches and walking aids due to health and safety reasons.
No this is not a joke, the HSE has confirmed that this year it will spend €16.24 million of taxpayers money on new wheelchairs, crutches and walking aids in the Western HSE region.
The spend this year represents an 8 per cent rise on the €15 million spent on these aids just last year, to service the counties of Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Clare, Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Limerick and our own beloved North Tipperary.
These various aids are issued to patients at no cost to their users and in most cases clients are not requested to return same after use.
With the HSE now facing cuts of over €1 billion, which will affect front line services in this above stated region, one must now ask the question, “Is there anyone in this green island still capable of keeping an eye on the shop”?
Useful Hint For HSE Management: Our local Supermarkets look for a €2 deposit to borrow a trolley for shopping, with same being fully refunded when the trolley is returned. Supermarket managers state that loss of trolleys, since they introduced this system, is now practically nil. However this is not good news for the trolley manufacturers.
Leave a Reply