Dublin South West Sinn Féin TD, Seán Crowe, has accused the Health Minister, James Reilly, of not being ‘up to the job’ after he announced the new HSE service plan, which is a blueprint for greatly reduced health services and a spending reduction of €619 million for the year ahead.

Crowe said the cuts are unsustainable and will push public health services into a deeper crisis.

Deputy Seán Crowe said

“Minister James Reilly on coming to office said he would sort out waiting lists, end the back up and nightmare of patients on trolleys at Accident & Emergency, and begin the transformation towards a new health centred service.

“He clearly is not up to the job and has delivered on none of his inflated promises.

“Yesterday 287 patients languished on trolleys. Beaumont hospital, for the 45th day straight, has more than 40 patients on trolleys.

“What measures, what proposals, what attempts if any, has he introduced to end this indignity to sick and seriously ill patients?

“The 2014 HSE Service Plan implements a spending reduction of €619 million for our public health services next year. This is a huge reduction and cannot be delivered without impacting on patients and health services.

“When this latest Service Plan is taken into account almost €4 billion will have been taken out of our public health services since 2008.

“This is unsustainable, will not work, and the bumbling Minister for Health is incapable of delivering meaningful reform.

Crowe continued:

“The entire management of health funding and health services by this Minister and by this Government is called into question by their mishandling of primary care.

“One day it was to be spent on Primary Care in areas like Tallaght, the next day €14 million was mysteriously diverted to the Minister Reilly’s own constituency.

“This new plan talks of “the vision for primary care services” while at the same time
it is cutting €294 million out of primary care.

“The Government is also set to take an additional €43 million out of the pockets of medical card holders in increased prescription charges.

“The Service Plan has no additional funding for new nursing home places in 2014. We know that there is already a huge waiting list for places under the so-called ‘Fair Deal’ scheme and Reilly’s proposals will spell misery for thousands of older people, many of whom are occupying hospital beds because they can no longer be cared for in their own homes.

“Overall this Service Plan is a blueprint for greatly reduced health services in 2014 and is a damning indictment of Minister James Reilly and of this Government.”

ENDS