Health Budget 2019 fails to address the extent of Public Hospital Deficits

9 October 2018 - The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has outlined its grave concern that the 2019 Health Budget is unlikely to address the serious capacity deficits that are delaying the provision of public hospital care to patients, unless urgent capacity needs in our acute hospitals are addressed. The Association outlined in great detail in its pre-budget submission to the Minister for Health and other government Ministers that underfunding of public hospitals has led to record numbers of patients on trolleys and on waiting lists.

Dr Donal O’Hanlon, IHCA President, said that in addition to the hundreds of thousands of patients being treated on trolleys and those on waiting lists for essential surgery, there is now a dangerous situation in our hospitals where patient appointments for surgery are being cancelled at short notice.  Dr O’Hanlon said that the extent of the deterioration in acute hospital capacity has now resulted in cancellations of surgery much earlier than in other years. The IHCA President added that the delivery of essential surgery in our cancer hospitals is being severely compromised as is evident from the cancellations this week.

Dr O’Hanlon said that the extent of the current under-resourcing of our public hospitals is such that elective but essential and pressing surgery is being cancelled in our cancer hospitals.

• In University Hospital Limerick, with less than a day’s notice, the hospital cancelled scheduled surgical appointments for today and there is a risk that cancelations may continue tomorrow.

• In Galway University Hospital capacity constraints yesterday resulted in over half of patients planned for surgery, in certain specialties, not being operated on because no beds were available despite the theatre and staff being ready to operate.

• In the Mater Hospital all elective admissions except cancer patients are cancelled today. These elective cancelations could include patients with pressing and life threatening conditions.

• In St James’s Hospital, 4 of the 13 operating theatres are closed due to inadequate resources in terms of beds and staff.

• Today there are 15 patients who are awaiting urgent neurosurgical care who cannot not be transferred from hospitals to Beaumont Hospital due the unavailability of beds.

  Dr O’Hanlon said that there are endless examples of public hospitals that have no choice but to ration care. This is down to capacity deficits in particular relating to an insufficient number of acute and ICU beds and vacant consultant posts. Over 500 permanent hospital consultant posts cannot be filled because of pay discrimination by the State against newly appointed consultants.

  The IHCA President said if these capacity deficits are not addressed without delay that this winter’s hospital crisis will be much worse than other years.

  For further information contact:

  James Dunny, FleishmanHillard 086 388 3903