The media's use of the term "bureaucrat" when discussing HSE staff is hurtful and offensive, a senior HSE official has said. Maureen Cronin, an assistant director of finance in the HSE, contacted the Pat Kenny Show on RTÉ to say she was "worn out being beaten up in the media".
"I worked in Fás for 17 years and moved into health six years ago, and I can honestly say I've never had a day where I haven't felt under pressure. I have no voice when I'm listening to the Late Late Show or the radio and people like yourself Pat, who have so much influence saying sentences like 'we go into work and don't really know what we're doing and we push bits of paper around'," she said.
Mr Kenny defended his comments, saying the idea behind the formation of the HSE was to reduce the number of bureaucrats and streamline the service, which he said had not been done successfully.
