Ad hoc hiring of ambulances

The government is occasionally hiring ambulances from private sources, but this is being done ad hoc to replace out-of-service government ambulances.

Answering a parliamentary question by Leo Brincat (PL), Social Policy Minister John Dalli said no ambulances had been hired in the first six months of 2008, whereas there had been 198 occasions in the second six months.

All ambulances available for hire had been checked by clinical officers at the Matei Dei Emergency Department to ensure that they could offer a seamless emergency service. On the other hand, ambulances for non-emergency use by the Guardamangia garage were checked to ensure that they all had the necessary accessories to be of service to patients being transferred to and from the out-patients department, government and private old people's homes, government hospitals, health centres and Malta International Airport, among other uses.

Minister Dalli said that in 2008 the ambulances had been hired from Ambumar Ltd at €161.50 a day. In the first three months of 2009 there had been 60 occasions of hiring from FSE Ltd at €140 a day and 27 times from Health Services Group Ltd at €200 a day for emergency services. There had also been 82 other occasions when ambulances had been hired from Ambumar Ltd for non-Mater Dei services.