What’s going on at the state Department of Health (DOH)? It accepts a bid from an outside ambulance company, Falck Northwest Corp., which has a history of poor service and no experience in Hawaii (“Contracts for new ambulance firm raise questions,” Star-Advertiser, Sept. 6).
Will Falck have to subcontract AMR like it did in San Diego when it couldn’t meet its service requirements? Did it submit a low bid that it can’t execute, or did DOH lower the bar to get a better deal?
Why did DOH feel it needed to disrupt the services of a longtime provider with a good record in Hawaii, especially in the recent aftermath of the Maui fires?
If this goes through, Falck will go after the rest of the state. Do we want to live with limited service from an outside company with no connection to the islands? Isn’t it the state’s responsibility to do what’s in the best interests of the people?
This is an all-too-familiar story in our state where “the bottom line” is not on some spreadsheet, but is about whose bottom is being kicked. Ouch!
Robert Tam
Makiki Heights
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