THE GOVERNMENT HAS been roundly criticised by opposition parties today as the controversy over the health budget allocation rumbles on.
Criticism over the €22.5 billion health budget has been levelled at the government, with a blame game playing out between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael as to who signed off on it.
Today, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and junior ministers Hildegarde Naughton and Mary Butler faced a barrage of criticism from TDs with many raising concerns about the underfunding of a number of programmes.
Donnelly said that a supplementary health budget for next year was “entirely possible”, adding that he is commissioning an in-depth report into the future of funding healthcare.
“We need to understand better exactly how much that will cost in a much more volatile world than when the report was written in 2016 and 2017,” said the minister.
HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster has warned that the amount is not adequate to run the health service at the same levels as this year.
However, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said this week that the HSE has been breaching its hiring allocation in some areas, with 270 junior doctors hired above the approved hire figures.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Varadkar denied that there is one minister responsible for the health budget, stating that the three coalition leaders agreed on the budget.
This point was reiterated by Tánaiste Micheál Martin during Leaders’ Questions, stating that it is the entire government that produces the budget.
Responding to reports that some ministers were unhappy with the HSE boss Bernard Gloster briefing opposition members on the health budget, Martin said he fully respects Gloster’s right to comment on the budget.
“He would not be the first CEO to brief parliamentary representatives in the House – and to engage with the government in respect of issues pertaining to the budget. I have no issue with the new CEO engaging with public representatives or doing interviews,” he said.
Sinn Féin’s David Cullinane denied he was getting briefings from Gloster, but told the Dáil that he has contacted him seeking clarity on some issues, stating that he doesn’t believe some commentary about Gloster has been helpful.
“This is a person who has come into the role and is six months in the job and he has a job to do,” he said.
Fianna Fáil’s John McGuinness told the Dáil today that he welcomed that Gloster is doing briefings, stating that he doesn’t belong to any political party and is not a member of government and should be speaking out about the reality of the health system.
He questioned where the progress is with Slaintecare is, stating that it is the responsibility of the ministers in the Department of Health to drive that reform.
The Tánaiste said the health sector has been prioritised with budget allocations increasing by more than €7.4 billion since 2019.
“By any yardstick this is a significant increase in funding over a relatively short space of time. In this context my view is that we need to do a deeper analysis of healthcare expenditure, parallel with analysis of future trends and ageing demographics more specifically.
Labour’s Ivana Bacik said today that it is extremely serious that a recruitment freeze has been announced during an acknowledged staffing crisis.
“This is a hammer blow to all those who work in the HSE who tell us how under-resourced they are. It is a hammer blow to Bernard Gloster who says that patients will be harmed without the recruitment of additional staff. Most of all, it is a hammer blow to the people of Ireland and those who are now wondering whether they will have access to health services if and when they need them,” she said.
Sinn Féin's David Cullinane has said the last message the Govt needed to give out when we are struggling to recruit staff are the words 'recruitment embargo'.
— Christina Finn (@christinafinn8) October 19, 2023
'Because that will resonate and that will be felt, and I think more people will leave,' Cullinane tells the minister. pic.twitter.com/ia7TpJrqNY
Cullinane said the worst message that the government could have promoted is that there is a recruitment embargo. He said students will see that message and leave the country, stating that other countries are headhunting Irish trainees.
Social Democrat’s Róisín Shortall questioned whether those in government and the department understand what a public health service actually means. She questioned whether the fact that the majority have private health insurance is warping their understanding of the services that are needed on the ground for the public.
Donnelly conceded that “some areas are not getting the same level of investment next year as they have over the past three years”.
“This is due primarily to an increase in inflation and patient demand being well in excess of what was forecast last year,” he said.
Donnelly said full year costs for new measures like the half million more GP cards and IVF are provided for in the budget.
He said the age for free contraception is increasing to age 31, admitting he wanted to go further.
“I was determined that we would not just stop a age 30. We have to keep progressing. I am determined that we will see free contraception provided to all women. That is the policy objective we are committed to. That is why I made sure that we are make some progress. It is not the increase I would have liked but we will keep going with it,” he said.
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