€200m hospital cuts outlined today will hit patients hard – Kelleher

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Health Billy Kelleher has said that the €200m hospital cuts outlined today will hit patients hard and they are a testament to the inability of the Health Minister to secure the necessary resources for our health services.

Deputy Kelleher said: “The fact is that the HSE is providing for the number of in-patient treatments and day-case treatments to be cut in 2014. The scale of the cuts is clear from the Divisional Service Plans released today.

“This can only compromise patient care. We have heard much from medical professionals in recent months on how patient safety is being jeopardised daily in our emergency departments and Minister Reilly has failed to take action and secure the necessary funding at Cabinet for the health services.

“I have met and listened to the concerns of nurses, doctors, non-consultant hospital doctors, janitors and members of every other profession working to make our emergency departments function under extremely difficult circumstances. I suggest that rather than dismissing their concerns, the Minister should listen to those who assist the people who are admitted daily to our accident and emergency departments. They will tell him that there are major problems with the system.

“In the words of consultant at CUH earlier this month, it is bedlam.”

Deputy Kelleher also said he was also concerned that the HSE was not providing the full detail of individual hospital budgets as they did previously. “The absence of this information is completely deplorable. It is as if the Minister and the HSE are trying to hide the reality,” he said.