Concern over Irish health sector

THE Irish health sector was singled out by the EU yesterday as an area of concern in terms of controlling the national budget and getting value for money.

However the country got a relatively clean bill of health from the European Commission in its annual report on the economies of the member states.

But Economic Affairs Commissioner Pedro Solbes warned that France, Germany and Italy because of their large public deficits will not be able to balance their budgets by 2006 as required under their current policies.

He also singled out spending on health systems and pensions as the areas most in need of reform when it came to improving the financial health of the three countries that account for most of the wealth of the euro-zone.

The report on Ireland’s economy noted that the Independent Commission on Financial Management and Control Systems was set up last year to look at the way money is spent on health.

Due out shortly the report, according to the commission report, is expected to highlight serious deficiencies in the existing financial management procedures and to recommend the establishment of a new national health services executive.