More bad news for our health service.

curlzy

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1020/1224281543119.html

ESRI CONFERENCE: HEALTH SPENDING may be cut by up to €1 billion next year, significantly higher than previously indicated, Minister for Health Mary Harney has said. Speaking at a conference on health service funding in Dublin yesterday, she admitted there was “no easy way to take that kind of money out” of the health service. While cuts in health funding last year also amounted to €1 billion, much of that was accounted for by cuts in core pay to staff. However, under the Croke Park agreement, this year’s cuts will have to come from other areas like procurement, cutting services or perhaps staff overtime. Ms Harney said she did not want to be specific about the actual amount to be cut from health in December’s budget, but said: “It will certainly be a minimum of €600 million and it could well be substantially higher.”

I didn't copy it all as it's very long but follow the link to see the whole article.

I'm really worried about this, does anyone else worry we're going to end up with a privatized health system like the USA, were they can turn you away to die if you don't have insurance? I know they're getting better under Obama but they've still got a good way to go.

So, opinions?

Biggins

Mentioned this yeaterday. The cuts won't be from high earning wages in the HSE according to Harney, services will be cut instead.

kiad

Well I'm sure she'll probably have a foot taken soon due to diabetes, so I guess karma will catch up with her eventually.

curlzy

Biggins wrote: »

Mentioned this yeaterday. The cuts won't be from high earning wages in the HSE according to Harney, services will be cut instead.

Sorry if I'm repeating another thread, had a quick look before I posted this thread but didn't see one. Also, yeah under the Croke Park agreement the cuts can't come from wages. God help anyone who's sick or injured for the next few years is all I can say.

senordingdong

Biggins wrote: »

Mentioned this yeaterday. The cuts won't be from high earning wages in the HSE according to Harney, services will be cut instead.

How the hell did these paper pushing bearucratic gougers get their over inflated salaries and expenses ring fenced in the first place?

Biggins

kiad wrote: »

Well I'm sure she'll probably have a foot taken soon due to diabetes, so I guess karma will catch up with her eventually.

No such luck. Any health treatment she gets will be via private care and paid by the massive wages/4 year Dail serving pension/expenses/etc she's been on for 25+ years.

No fear of her going public or in a queue.

Son Of A Vidic

I was once part of the HSE and I know the waste and inefficiencies that takes place. I can't believe 70% of spending on the HSE is wage related, yet we can't touch that. Cuts must come from the the remining 30% - the patient/services end! Then they try to potray themselves as champions for the patient, when their very priority from the outset was to protect their own little nests.

senordingdong

Perhaps there's a bigger, more sinister picture to this.

Perhaps they are knowingly providing bad service in order to turn more and more people towards private health care, in order to alleviate health spending in the long run.

Riddle101

When is there ever good news for our health system:rolleyes:

Anyway, I believe it was said that 2011 was estimated to be the worst year for the recession, so I have no doubt a lot of cuts will be made to the health service

senordingdong

Actually, hold the phone.

A thread in the economics forum says that, the Croke Park agreement is to be dissolved in March.

Althogut the austerity budget will go ahead as planned first.
I wonder if these matters will be addressed once the opportunity is presented to them.

geeky

Mary Harney. Putting the 'n' in 'cut' since 2004.