Cuts at Best Performing Hospitals Shows Dysfunction of Reilly’s Leadership

Published on: 04 February 2013


Fianna Fáil Health Spokesperson, Billy Kelleher TD, has reacted to the news that some of the country’s best performing and most strategically important hospitals are being hit with massive budget cuts. Deputy Kelleher described the news that Saint James’ Hospital is to face the biggest cut in the country as an extraordinary indictment of the dysfunction of James Reilly’s leadership of the Health Service.

Deputy Kelleher commented: “The news that the country’s best performing and most efficient hospitals are facing the largest budget cuts in the country sums up well how dysfunctional the health service has become under the leadership of James Reilly. The fact that the single biggest cut is being applied to a hospital of major national strategic importance and the site of the National Children’s Hospital will anger families across Dublin and throughout the country.

“The extraordinary fact of the matter is that James Reilly is now effectively rewarding hospital mismanagement and penalising efficiency.  Hospitals that have stuck to budgets and delivered savings are being penalised with significant budget cuts.  The Minister needs to come forward immediately to explain how he cooked up such a short sighted and counter-productive strategy.

“The fact that St James’ Hospital, lauded just months ago by the Minister, would face the biggest single cut of some €9 million per year beggars belief.  The fact that this blow comes just weeks after it emerged that the National Children’s Hospital project has ground to halt because of the Minister’s bungling, sums up starkly the mess that is emerging.

“Once again, the Minister has preferred to break this news through media leaks while he remains hidden from scrutiny.  Once again, it reminds everyone in the country except Taoiseach Enda Kenny that the wrong person is in charge of the nation’s health system.”

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