Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 623: To ask the Minister for Health in view of the practice of private clinics and hospitals of utilising private ambulance services for the transport and transfer of patients requiring more acute and immediate specialist care in public departments and hospitals, with patients and/or their insurance companies billed accordingly to cover the expense, if such private patients and their insurance companies are billed for public ambulance transport used when said private ambulance services are not available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32015/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Private patients, regardless of their origin or destination hospitals, are normally transported by private ambulance companies, subject to the appropriate level of cover by the health insurer and certification of need by their treating consultant.

Where a private ambulance is not available, a patient in those circumstances may be eligible for HSE National Ambulance Service (NAS) intermediate care transport, depending on medical need. However, such situations are extremely rare. To date in 2012, an average of 7 patients out of a monthly average of 12,500 have been transported in this manner, on a "last resort" basis. In this context, the NAS does not issue charges to such patients.