MINISTER of State at the Department of Health Róisín Shortall has complained to the Health Service Executive about cutbacks to community drug projects introduced without consultation with her office.
The HSE in the Dublin-Mid Leinster region has made cuts of nearly €75,000 to community drug projects which it supports. This includes a reduction of €11,536 in funding to projects in the Tallaght local drugs taskforce area for the last quarter of the year.
The moves formed part of overall cutbacks in spending within the HSE over recent months as part of a bid by the health authority to address a potential €300 million financial deficit by the end of the year.
In a statement yesterday the Department of Health said that Ms Shortall, who as Minister of State for primary care has responsibility for the Government’s national drugs strategy, had not received any prior notification from the HSE about the cuts to the community drugs projects. “She was concerned that yet again primary care services were suffering because of over-runs in hospitals and in children’s services.”
“As per her responsibility under the national drugs strategy, she made a complaint to the HSE about the development.”
The Department of Health said the HSE had advised that there were no other reductions in funding to addiction services in the other parts of the country.