16 December 2015
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
The new HSE Service Plan will make grim reading for patients and frontline staff in our hospitals says Fianna Fáil Health spokesperson, Billy Kelleher.
Cork TD Billy Kelleher
“Despite an ageing population and the plan’s admission that health needs increase as people get older and people over 65 years of age more frequently require hospital care and present with complex needs, Minister Varadkar has approved a plan that cuts hospital funding by €100 million,” said Deputy Kelleher.
“It is one thing to refuse a HSE request for an extra €85 million for hospitals in 2016 as Minister Varadkar had done, but to force a cut of €100 million on the acute sector really adds insult to injury.”
“The Plan throws in the usual mantra of making up €100 million by reducing waste and cutting inefficiencies but no-one will be fooled by that this time.”
“The reality is that the diminished expectations on waiting lists with targets continuing to be missed will be a day to day occurrence. It’s just not good enough for the government and the Minister for Health to present this plan.”
“This government has failed completely on health with the debacle on universal health insurance the most spectacular example of its failures. The 2016 HSE Service Plan, which cuts funding in our hospitals, simply compounds that failure.”
