A HEALTH campaigner claims that precious funds are being spent ferrying patients in taxis to Glasgow hospitals.

Councillor Ciano Rebecchi has been made aware of cases where local people are taken to the city in cabs for evening appointment tests he says can be done at Inverclyde Royal.

The former provost says the cost was £150 to take one man up to Glasgow Royal and back for a colonoscopy.

Cllr Rebecchi said: "The man was told he was being sent there to get him off Inverclyde's list and would've had to wait until October to be seen at IRH.

"The taxi waited for him at the hospital and took him back.

"Another woman was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to be tested for dementia, again in a taxi.

"What if there were five people getting taken up, that's £750.

"The health board needs to get to grips with this.

"We need to use the money coming into the NHS to improve the service.

"Why couldn't we get a consultant to come down here one day or night a week to work through the list of patients?

"This would save money on transport on taking a number of patients to Glasgow while one doctor could come down in his car.

"These are routine tests that can and should be done here."

Health board bosses dispute the figures cited by the councillor, saying an estimate would be £80 for the return journey.

They also defended the practice of utilising other hospitals for tests.

A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde told the Telegraph: "Inverclyde Royal Hospital serves its local community very well and the majority of patients are seen and treated at the hospital for routine healthcare.

"The hospital, however, works as part of a network to provide services to the whole Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) population and in line with the national Treatment Time Guarantee patients may be offered the first available date at clinics across NHS GGC.

"In particular, urgent appointments may require patients to travel outwith their local area and if a patient accepts this appointment and agrees to travel to another hospital we discuss with them transport arrangements.

"The majority of patients make their own travel arrangements or will use the patient transport service provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service.

"However, in line with our taxi policy in exceptional circumstances we may cover the cost of the patient’s transport."