VHI and BUPA were let off on a 1 million bill to a public hospital because the doctors wouldn’t give details of the treatment provided to a private patient.

SOUTHERN Health Board chief executive Sean Hurley yesterday entered the controversial row over the role of consultants, insisting they accept accountability for how the public’s money is spent.

THE Brennan Report found three problems with the way finances are managed within the health service: no central control, no accountability and little or no information on where the money goes.