Questions must be asked about HSE financial plans, says Fianna Fáil

Fianna Fáil has said that questions now need to be asked about the financial sustainablility of the Health Service Executives plan for the health services this year.

Fianna Fáil health spokesman Billy Kelleher maintained on Friday that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Health Simon Harris were "attempting to use deceptive financial slights of hands to hide the clear gaps in funding for the public health service".

“The HSE 2018 budget level represents an overall increase of €413 million (2.9 per cent) on the final 2017 budget. The HSE also says there is a financial challenge within the operational service areas of approximately €346 million where they have to deliver savings.

“That financial challenge amounts to 84 per cent of the 2018 increase. I have very real concerns that the proposed service improvements cannot be delivered under these circumstances,” he said.

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Mr Kelleher made his comments after The Irish Times revealed on Friday that the Minister had strongly criticised HSE director general Tony O'Brien over its "poor budgetary performance" and warned him Government policy must be followed.

Mr Harris was unhappy with suggestions made by the HSE in a recent submission that it could face financial challenges of nearly €900 million this year.

‘Stop obfuscating’

Mr Kelleher said Mr Harris “must stop obfuscating and accept that it will be next to impossible to meet existing commitments based on Budget 2018 allocations”.

He argued that “way too much of the 2018 budget for the HSE is based on achieving value-for-money savings in the region of €346 million”.

“The HSE has, over the past six to seven years, gone through a significant period of fat-cutting. The idea that nearly 2.5 per cent of the 2018 budget is based on value-for-money savings just doesn’t stack up to me.”

Mr Kelleher said it was obvious now HSE senior management were not confident that such savings could be realised and they were rightly highlighting that the budgetary process for the health service had been totally inadequate for the past number of years.

“There are, I believe, questions to be asked about the entire 2018 HSE service plan and its financial sustainability.”

"Minister Harris needs to be honest with himself, the HSE, the Oireachtas and ultimately, the people of Ireland about what the HSE has the capacity to deliver in 2018."