Vol. 409 No. 1
134 Mr. G. O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the reason the parents of a baby (details supplied) in County Cork were charged for the transport of the child by ambulance from the Cork Regional Hospital to Our Lady's Hospital in Crumlin, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Responsibility for the provision of ambulance services is a matter for each health board in the first instance.
Under section 57 (3) of the Health Act, 1970, the chief executive officer of the Southern Health Board is entitled to levy a charge for ambulance services provided by the board. I have been informed by the Southern Health Board that such charges are levied for ambulance transportation where the person being transported is not the holder of a medical card. The parents of this child should write to the chief executive officer of the board if there are any extenuating circumstances concerning the case.
