Hungarian patient carriers threaten with strike

The separation of patient transportation and ambulance services has left patient transport workers in a difficult situation which they want to change during their meeting with the health ministry today, reports Népszabadság.

According to the new regulations, the National Ambulance Service (OMSZ) transports patients whose condition requires professional assistance, while "simple" transports are made by various non-emergency patient transport companies. The latter ones came to realize that the number of "simple" cases is much higher than they expected, probably because ambulance workers used to register simple cases as requiring professional care, thus providing incorrect data.

Patient transport workers indicated in January that the number of patients were causing them difficulties. The National Health Insurance Fund (OEP) provided them with permission but without money to acquire new vehicles, and it does not plan to give them financial aid. It only states that the patient transport workers will not be left alone in this situation, while the workers say that if they do not receive more support, they will stop working.

According to hospital leaders, the work circumstances of the patient transport workers have improved since January.

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