People who call an ambulance without having to go to hospital may have to pay a fee, suggests the board in Region Blekinge.
But the proposal faces criticism.
– There is no unnecessary cry for help, says district doctor Christian Schmitt.
A fee for unnecessary ambulance calls may become a reality in Blekinge. SEK 100 must be paid by a patient who calls an ambulance without having to go to hospital, according to the proposal.
There are too many unnecessary ambulance calls, says Magnus Johansson (S), chairman of the health and medical care board in Region Blekinge.
– Just over 30 percent of ambulance calls in Blekinge go home without a patient in the car. If this leads to us being able to allocate ambulance resources better, that is positive.
He also refers to a system of assessment cars where the region’s nurses can be sent home to whoever calls 112. The patient fee will then be SEK 100.
– We want it to be more equal between assessment car and ambulance, he says.
Can have negative consequences
The district doctor Christian Schmitt is critical and believes that there is no “unnecessary cry for help”
– Patients themselves cannot decide whether their alarm is unnecessary or not, he says.
Andreas Rantala, who has researched ambulance care at Lund University, is on the same track and believes that there is a risk that people avoid seeking care even though they need it. He also highlights the difficulty for a patient to know if they really need emergency care.
“Who Shall Decide”
– On 1177 it says to call 112 in emergency situations. Who is to decide whether the treatment is urgent, he says.
Magnus Johansson (S) disagrees and does not believe that the cost will affect people’s willingness to seek care.
– We really can’t hope for that. If you feel that you have to call 112, I don’t think the hundred mark matters, he says.
The decision will be made by the regional council in early November. According to calculations, the new ambulance fee would bring almost half a million kroner in revenue. Children and people over the age of 85 shall not be covered by the care fee.