IHCA has serious concerns at the lack of health service capital investment and frontline budget funding

IHCA has serious concerns at the lack of health service capital investment

and  frontline budget funding

11th October, 2016: The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA), while welcoming the increase in next year’s health budget, has expressed its serious concern that this will not be sufficient to address the growing waiting lists and increased patients demand for healthcare due to demographic and other reasons. In particular, the 2017 Health Budget fails to address the critical capacity constraints that have arisen from years of cuts in acute hospital and health sector capital expenditure.  

Dr Tom Ryan, IHCA President, said that the cumulative cuts of €1.7 billion in health sector capital expenditure since 2008 have resulted in an acute health infrastructure that is crumbling, with many hospitals attempting to treat patients with inadequate capacity and equipment that is increasingly obsolete.  He said that it is disappointing that the 2017 Budget has not allocated significantly increased capital funding to address the critical acute hospital and mental health capacity deficits which are preventing consultants and frontline staff from treating patients without delays.

Dr Ryan said that the increased NTPF funding to address the unacceptable and growing waiting lists is at best a stop gap measure. He said it is disappointing that the Budget fails to seriously address the root causes of the problems which are inadequate acute and ICU bed capacity and insufficient operating capacity. He said these constraints are not only leading to longer waiting lists but they are resulting in the cancellation of essential surgery with increased frequency.

Dr Ryan said that it abundantly clear that our acute hospitals do not have enough beds; diagnostic, theatre, staffing and other resources to treat patients without delays. He said that it is critically important that these capacity constraints are addressed in the National Service Plan through the prioritisation of frontline resourcing to enable the delivery of safe high quality care to patients.  

ENDS

James Dunny, FleishmanHillard + 353 1 6188 444 / + 353 86 388 3903

Fiona Murphy, FleishmanHillard + 353 1 6188 444 / +353 87 819 4464