The Health Service executive has hit out at what it says are "vested interests" propagating "the myth of a health service overburdened with administrators".
In a statement today, the HSE said 10 out of every 11 additional employees recruited to the health services since 1997 are engaged in direct services to patients and the public.
Martin McDonald, HSE
The body called for "an honest debate about the direction of the country's health services and one that was not based on myth or bias".
"It's time for commentators and vested interests to stop propagating the myth of a health service overburdened with administrators and to work with the HSE on delivering real reform within the health services," said Martin McDonald, national director of human resources.
"The reality is that there is no large Brussels-like bureaucracy within the HSE fulminating on administrative niceties and our administrative staff are as committed as any other category of staff. They work hard in their jobs and do not deserve to be scapegoated or unduly targeted for groundless criticism."
The Irish Timesreported last week that there are more than 100 senior health service managers earning salaries of over €100,000 per year.
Senior Government sources told the newspaper the number of senior managers at the equivalent of assistant secretary levels in the Civil Service had increased since the abolition of the health board system and the introduction of the centralised HSE.
Mr McDonald said that with regard to recent media commentary on "a purported increase in the number of managers earning over €75,000", that there had been no significant increase in the numbers of managers since the HSE was established.
"The pay of administrative staff, as with other grades, is determined independently of the HSE through mechanisms such as national wage agreements and benchmarking. The same stories could be written about civil servants, doctors, nurses, gardai and teachers."
The HSE said today that within a total staff complement of just over 100,000, only 3,000 HSE staff work on "what might be termed purely administrative work".
"These areas include paying our suppliers in a timely fashion, paying our staff and contractors, supporting our ICT infrastructure, providing technical services within health care facilities. This represents less than 3 per cent
of the total employment within the health service. It is not considered excessive and compares favourably with other large organisations."
Mr McDonald said it was "misleading" to take what is a "public sector phenomenon" and to label it a HSE issue.