The Chair of the Air Ambulance Medical Transport Group is not surprised with inefficiencies uncovered by NAPE through a recent ATIPP request.
The union found that patient transfers provided by private contractors were four to five times more expensive.
Eugene Nippard, who has long been calling for improvements to the province’s air ambulance service, says the private operators do not have their own medical personnel.
Nippard says the way the system is currently run is inefficient.
He says if a private aircraft is in Goose Bay for instance at 10 p.m. with no medical personnel, they have to be flown in, or picked up, costing taxpayers even more.
Nippard is quick to point out that if the inefficiencies were properly addressed by government, then the private services would be good.