Health service to get worse, warn nurses

THE health service will get worse next year despite last week’s record €10 billion Budget, the Irish Nurses Organisation has warned.

In its analysis of last week’s Budget, the INO said there will continue to be a shortage of hospital beds and overcrowding at accident and emergency departments in 2004.

“The allocation to health is up by 7% but most of that is going towards pay and benchmarking. There are no initiatives which are going to address the problems and which will implement the health strategy,” said INO general secretary Liam Doran.