Finance Minister Brian Lenihan and his cabinet colleagues have announced a series of spending cutbacks in an effort to save the country the €500 million it needs to balance the books at the end of this year.

However, Minister Lenihan's assertion yesterday that the spending cuts/savings are designed to minimise the effects on service users in the areas of health, education and social welfare will fall on deaf ears locally as we are faced with the prospect of ward closures at Galway University Hospitals.

Despite promises that the most vulnerable in society will be protected, HSE West announced this week that in addition to the annual week-long suspension of services during Race Week, many other departments could be closed for up to five months in order to ensure the hospital remains within budget at the end of the year.

Under the new plans, an orthopaedic ward at Merlin Park will be closed until the end of September, the closure of St Mary's ward at UHG will also be extended by one week and there will also be a reduction of services in relation to laboratories and drug prescribing. Ten beds in St Monica's gynaecological ward at UHG will be closed indefinitely and a waiting list formed.

While a HSE West statement that the scale-back will not impact on emergency or urgent admissions or key specialties, for example cancer specialties, is to be welcomed, it is hard to fathom ward closures and the formation of waiting lists, even in the current climate.

It is especially difficult to reconcile ourselves to the formation of waiting lists on one hand and the continuation of the €100 million a year National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) on the other, which was especially set up to cut waiting lists.

An Taoiseach Brian Cowen has said there is no 'painless' way to cut spending, but to the average Joe Soap there is one obvious solution: immediately quit the tribunals of inquiry.

According to reports in one Sunday newspaper, the Mahon Tribunal alone could cost a minimum of €300 million, while the current round of spending cuts, according to the Finance Minister, are estimated to deliver €440 million in 2008.

The government now needs to put the health of the nation before the wealth of a few barristers, who are the only real beneficiaries from the entire tribunal business.

Comments (0) »

Show/Hide comment form

Name

Email

Title

Comment

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment