Health aids should be recycled?

MORE medical aids should be recycled, a local councillor has claimed, after it emerged that the HSE spent €3.78 million on equipment in the county over a three-year period.

Councillor Brian Meaney said the HSE should review its policy of not re-using walking aids and crutches for health and safety reasons, in a bid to reduce the massive spending of taxpayers’ money in this area.
Official figures revealed that €1,341,993 was spent providing aids and appliances in Clare in 2006. The overall figure fell to €1,318,219 in 2007 and to €1,121,193 in 2008. Health officials project that €1,023,310 will be spent providing aids this year.
In spite of the steady reduction in the overall cost of supplying these aids,  Councillor Meaney said he is still concerned that over €1 million is being spent annually on specialist equipment.
The Green Party councillor was told at a HSE West Forum meeting on Tuesday that some aids and appliances, with the exception of walking aids and crutches, were recycled following infection-
control measures.
He proposed that a nominal charge be introduced for the use of walking aids and crutches, which would be refundable on their return.
“I can see no reason why walking aids and crutches can’t be used again, once proper infection control procedures are carried out. Given the pressure on the HSE to reduce its costs, every effort should be made to reduce spending, once it doesn’t affect frontline services and patient care.
“It seems that health and safety is being used as a vehicle for some companies to generate profits from this equipment. A new crutch can be bought on e-bay for €20, while a wheelchair can be purchased for €60.
“The HSE should set aside a date and a venue where old unused crutches and walking aids will be accepted and the money saved on purchasing new ones could be diverted to frontline care,” he said.
Newly appointed interim regional director of operations, Frank Murray, acknowledged that, traditionally, the HSE did a good deal of recycling but there seemed to be a reluctance to recycle everything.
Mr Murray said the HSE had to examine all items of expenditure to see if savings could be made in view of budgetary constraints and possible cutbacks in national funding.
HSE West director, Dr Seán Conroy, said the level of expenditure on such items illustrates the massive amount of services that are now being delivered in the community instead of the acute hospital sector.
The expenditure on aids and appliances in North Tipperary shows €1,040,518 was spent in 2006, €753,629 in 2007 and €1,225,177 in 2008.
The figure is much higher in neighbouring Limerick, which recorded a total of €1,518,391 in 2006, €1,318,219 in 2007 and €1,832,502 in 2008.