Reforms will cut 'little ice' with health workers, union warns

Health service reforms announced yesterday will "cut little ice" with workers in the sector, due to the Government's failure to implement the National Health Strategy, the trade union IMPACT has said.

Mr Kevin Callinan, national secretary of the union, which represents more than 25,000 health workers, said neither they nor the general public "will be fooled again by flim-flam or media spin. The politicians must be asked where they stand on making services available rather than tinkering with structures."

Citing bed closures around the country "on a daily basis", he said "the ordinary member of the public cares little about the number of health boards. They are more interested in whether they can receive quality care and treatment when they need it."

An improved health service would not become a reality, he said, unless the Government was prepared to abolish the current two-tier system and to confront its defenders.

The union is to hold a consultative meeting on the proposed reforms on July 9th.

SIPTU's national industrial secretary, Mr Matt Merrigan, expressed reservations about the reforms, saying without the crucial Hanly report on medical manpower, "we do not have a complete picture of the Minister's programme".

He noted: "The proposals will take an estimated three years to implement, but no additional financial resources have been allocated to cope with the current difficulties within the health services or the planned changes in structures. Clearly there will be no significant improvements in the Irish health system for the foreseeable future."

He said the union looked forward to discussions with the Minister on the reforms, adding it was "vitally important" that both individuals and organisations were guaranteed, in line with recent national agreements, that there would be no compulsory redundancies.

The employers' group IBEC welcomed the reform programme, describing it as a serious effort to address issues of accountability and value for money in the health service.

The Government must stand firm in its implementation and withstand the inevitable pressure from many vested interests, said its director of economic affairs, Mr Brian Geoghegan.