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A GROUP OF around 70 motorcyclists have joined forces and set up the volunteer group, Blood Bike East, that aims to help hospital patients and cut the HSE’s massive taxi bill.
Instead of paying taxis to transport blood, breast milk, x-rays, tests etc. during out of hours times, the volunteers will drive between hospitals and blood clinics in the Leinster area free of charge.
In 2011, the HSE spent an average of €28 million on taxis, which included transporting staff and patients but BBE volunteers believes that amount could be reduced greatly.
BBE founder and chairman, Pat McCabe, said it was “disappointing” that the HSE could not calculate how much money was spent on transporting medical products but said the bikers would keep a record of all journeys so they could make an estimate.
Even if we saved 1 per cent of the bill that’s €280,000 and that would be a huge difference. How many wards could we help keep open? How many jobs could we help save?
McCabe said he got the idea for the volunteer group last September and after asking biking forums for input, he has been inundated by responses ever since.
Today alone I signed on three more volunteers, but it’s not just bikers that want to help. People have been getting in touch about helping to fundraise, making corporate donations and giving us gear. It’s heartwarming to see so much charity still left in our country.
Following a large donation, BBE was able to purchase three bikes and kit them out complete with reflector gear and blood porters. The group will organise fundraisers to pay for fuel costs.
“No volunteers get any kind of financial recompense. All donations go towards the running of the service,” says McCabe.
If medical products need to be transported to a different region, McCabe hopes they will soon be able to start meeting up with other ‘Blood Bikers’ around the country. A service in the west is already in place.
Instead of dealing with the HSE, which McCabe likened “to pushing a big rock up a hill” they contacted the hospitals directly, who McCabe says all fully support the cause.
The volunteers will work from 7pm to 7am Monday to Friday and from 7pm Friday to 7am Monday.
The Blood Bike East group will be launched next Tuesday in the Mansion House by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Naoise Ó Muirí, and they will take to the roads on 5 April.
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He’ll be out by the weekend.Otherwise the cartel will cause havoc.
@Kieran Byrne: did he really have much of a life choice though in fairness. Not condoning what he did but his life was kinda laid out for him.
Washington accuses the cartel of exploiting the opioid epidemic and introducing fentanyl yet they created the market with a series of laws making it near impossible for doctors to prescribe opioids. The rug was pulled from chronic pain patients and anyone with a prescription opioid addiction overnight. In the years following, the black market predictably exploded and just as predictably, so have the deaths which continue to rise year on year at a staggering rate. This is what happens when we create unregulated markets for criminals gangs to run and profit from. At some point we’re going to have to grow up and accept that the war on drugs is a failure on every conceivable level. Drugs won and huge numbers are dying while we wait for politicians to catch up. It’s obscene and it’s criminal.
@Declan Doherty: if you have not seen it, watch the Tv series ‘dopesick’ starring Michael Keaton. It is very good drama about opioid addiction
@James Beattie: Been meaning to watch it. Is it on Netflix?
This war on drugs is lost……..let’s have limited legitimacy and put this cartels out a business..over to you joe,America are the main buyers legalisation has worked when tried.something has to be done to stop the 100,000 + death’s
Arrest the rich who are using and you’ll stop the flow
@Paul Gorry: what do you mean, arrest the middle class? Sounds like the new order put forth by Xi
@Ian James Burgess, it would cost too much. I see Prince Harry admitted taking it, will he be arrested or locked up.
@Tomaldo: nope, he’ll be applauded as the refreshing take on monarchy, even though we know he essentially supported criminals, yes folks everytime you buy cocaine I hate to tell you… But….
Getting murdered for not singing at The Mouses wedding!!!! What would he do to Daniel O’Donnell ?
@Pete O’Reilly: ask him to fix his boiler
@kevin mc cormack: Daniel is not gas certified Kevin. Me granny only told me yesterday.
@SPQH, then why not change the law?
@Stephen Walshe, then he’ll be replaced by another smelly rat
Smelly little rat got caught he should be hung in public.
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