Greens criticise cancelled operations and HSE bonuses
Green Party Chairman and Health spokesperson John Gormley TD reacted to news that Irish hospitals cancelled nearly 22,000 operations last year – the majority of them due to insufficient bed capacity – saying:
“Capacity deficits were clearly identified in the 2001 Health Strategy but Minister Harney and HSE chief executive Prof Brendan Drumm have chosen to look to the private sector through a misguided co-location approach, rather than funding extra acute bed capacity. Not only is the lack of bed capacity leading to the cancellation of some operations, it is also contributing significantly to problems in our accident and emergency units.
“News of the 22,000 cancelled operations comes on the same day as reports that HSE executives awarded themselves generous bonuses of nearly €1.7m over the last 18 months. I don’t believe these extra payments have resulted in better patient care. In fact, the evidence suggests that the crisis in the health service continues unabated and the HSE has given rise to extra bureaucracy and less transparency and accountability – as the Green Party predicted when the legislation was going through the House.”