Harney pledges visibly better services

A massive €12bn spending package for the Department of Health will make a visible difference to frontline services, it was claimed tonight.

With a 9% increase in funding, Tanaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney said improvements would be made by targeting care for the disabled, primary care, emergency planning and medical education and training.

“I am determined to ensure that major funding increases translate into visibly better services for patients,” the Tanaiste said.

A total of €100m has been set aside for disability and mental health services. Residential, respite and day care places, and home supports will benefit from €59m, while €41m will go towards improving multi-disciplinary services and addressing staffing issues.

Some €60m will go to the continued commissioning of new units in acute and non-acute hospitals.

The Tanaiste detailed 14 developments at hospitals around the country including A&E units at St Vincent’s, Dublin and Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda. Wexford General will get additional acute beds, while a new development will be built at the Midland Regional in Tullamore.

Ms Harney said €16m for primary care services will fund additional frontline personnel to work alongside GPs.

A total of €400m has been set aside to cover the bill for illegal nursing home charges.

Meanwhile, the charge for attending A&E will go up 5 euro to 60 euro. And there will be a 10% increase on charges for private beds in public hospitals.

The Tanaiste claimed the overall increases in the Budget were more than three times the rate of inflation and well above the GNP growth rate.

She said Ireland had moved from a country spending almost 15% less than the OECD average on health in 1997 to spending 17% above the average in 2003.

“I am also determined that the pace of health reform across the board matches the pace of funding increases. This is the key to ensuring better services, better value for money and taxpayers’ support for further health spending increases,” she said.

“The challenge for 2006 is to ensure that the additional funding provided to the Health Sector for next year is once again, effectively and efficiently employed to build on the successes of 2005.”

Some €4.7m will fund additional specialist medical, nursing and allied health professional staff at cystic fibrosis units around the country.

Waiting lists will be targeted with €13m for the National Treatment Purchase Fund, €8m will be spent on child welfare and protection services, €2m on the National Traveller Health Strategy, drugs and HIV services will receive additional funding of €3m and €2m to homeless services.

A total of €10m will be spent in order to complete the stock-piling of anti-virals for the purchase H5N1 avian flu vaccines.