NO ONE WILL die in Ireland’s hospitals because of Budget cuts, Health Minister Dr James Reilly has said.
Speaking on RTÉ radio show Morning Ireland today, he responded to comments that his announcement that there will be cuts in health services was “frightening”.
He said:
The reality here is the figures are daunting to a certain extent but I am determined we can succeed.
Yesterday, Minister for Brendan Howlin announced that there would be a number of health cuts.
He said that the government would also work to “improve the generation and collection of private income in public hospitals to save €143 million”.
VHI responded that premiums could jump by 50 per cent over this reform.
Minister Reilly commented: “I accept this will put pressure on premia but not that it will lead to a 50 per cent increase”.
“So no one is going to die because of cuts?” he was asked
Nobody is going to die because of health cuts. That is a certainty.
He added that “all staff will ensure that that won’t happen” and “what we will have to do is work differently”.
Protests have taken place recently over the issue of the closure of community care homes and nursing homes.
Minister Reilly said that the government is committed to the provision of long-term care in the public sector but there is no doubt that some of these community nursing units are facing problems.
He reiterated the point that the Government does not have the money required to upgrade these facilities.
If we are faced between that decision and letting somebody die because they can’t access cancer treatment or because they are left on a trolley for five days because the facilities aren’t there to deal with the acutely ill, it’s a horrible choice to make but that’s a choice we have to take.
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