FF leader acknowledges problems but says HSE development central to plan

HEALTH POLICY:FIANNA FÁIL leader Micheál Martin has defended the HSE and described the further development of the organisation as his party's core plan for the health sector.

Launching Fianna Fáil’s health policy yesterday, Mr Martin acknowledged “clear problems” in many hospital accident and emergency departments, but said the way to tackle difficulties was to continue implementing reforms.

“We do not believe in dismantling the HSE. We do not believe in another radical restructuring of health services that is ill-defined and uncertain,” he said.

Fianna Fáil believed in a strong public health system, Mr Martin said. The health sector was “still undergoing the most radical reorganisation and development in 40 years” and the HSE was “only five years old”, he said.

He said significant savings in the health sector needed to be implemented by 2014 and most of this should be achieved through pay and administrative costs.

Charges for private and semi-private treatment in public hospitals should be increased, while “prescribing behaviours” should also be targeted to generate savings in job costs.

Staff numbers in the HSE should be reduced further over the next four years, he said, adding this would be achieved “by non-replacement and the recruitment embargo”. The work day should be expanded from 8am until 8pm and a greater range of services should be available in community settings, so patients could access services in the evenings and at weekends.

The policy document was not distributed at the launch until reporters asked for copies, after Mr Martin and Fianna Fáil’s recently appointed health spokesman Barry Andrews had delivered a presentation.

Asked to outline how Fianna Fáil’s health policy was costed, Mr Martin said the national recovery plan contained figures “in terms of budgets for health, year by year, over the next four years”.

The document said Fianna Fáil would not pursue the policy of co-location, which was introduced by former minister of health Mary Harney, because “the potential to attract private finance for health investment purposes is questionable”. However, signed contracts relating to projects at four hospitals “will be respected in full”, the document stated.

The document called for delivery on the commitment to build a national paediatric hospital on the site of the Mater hospital in Dublin by 2014. It also called for a referendum on children’s rights based on the wording proposed last month.

People attending emergency departments should be assessed, treated and admitted or discharged within six hours, it stated.

Reference pricing of drugs and medicines should be introduced and generic substitution put in place.

Legislative measures aimed at “the attainment of a tobacco-free society” should be progressed and graphic warnings on tobacco products introduced. Health advice warnings should feature on all alcohol containers, along with a ban on alcohol advertising near schools and colleges.

A proposal to introduce legislation to regulate and restrict the use of sunbeds was included. An increase in the number of primary care teams from 394 last year to 527 by the end of this year was also proposed.