Vehicule Sanitaire Leger (VSL), is an integral piece of medical transport. The purpose of the VSL is to safely move those with disabilities or illness between locations based on scheduled appointments such as doctor’s visits or maintenance meetings; however, these vehicles don’t respond immediately in emergency situations such as car crashes.
VSLs, traditional taxi CPAMs, ambulances and emergency vehicles must all meet local CPAM regulations for their respective areas. Each of them serves as reserve transport for passenger transport in an seated position and shares similar characteristics; all require first aid supplies while providing intermediate functions between taxi and ambulance services.
VSL vehicles can be distinguished from regular taxis by the visual mark of a white cross with six blue branches on it; their visual hallmark is not present elsewhere. Furthermore, each VSL car features an infrared camera to monitor patients in storage facilities as well as providing necessary communications with those responsible for transporting them.
But obstacles related to financing these vehicles must be removed first. Maintenance fees, fuel replacement expenses and income tax assessments related to social security and complementary health insurance impose prohibitively high costs for ambulance services; so even individuals covered by medical insurance often must cover transportation by VSL or ambulance on their own.