€1.1m spent on PR amid health crisis
The Labour Party has described the spend as "inexcusable" and questioned such expenditure of taxpayers' money when there were hundreds on trollies at A&E units.
Ten public relations contracts were awarded to four different agencies between June 2002 and last month, according to the Department of Health.
*More than €444,000 was spent on spearheading health promotion campaigns which focused on areas like smoking, obesity and alcohol.
*Nearly €280,000 was spent on a contract to devise a publicity campaign around the National Treatment Purchase Fund, which sends patients on waiting lists for private treatment.
*A further €115,297 was spent on an information campaign after the National Taskforce on Medical Staffing, the Hanly report was published in 2003.
*Up to €155,150 was spent on press campaigns in the run-up to and after two major European Union presidency health conferences on cardiovascular health and tobacco control.
*Media relations support with the launch of the Health Service Reform Programme and on a forum to report on the progress of the National Health Strategy cost €24,000.
*The information campaign around the SARS alert cost €23,667 while media advice on the launch of the controversial Hollywood report on radiotherapy services and a report evaluating cancer services cost nearly €26,000.
*The launch and press campaign around the Fluoridation Forum Report cost €16,973 while Dáil na nOg, the youth parliament, cost €23,000 to organise.
There was widespread acknowledgement that the money spent on the campaigns against smoking, alcohol and obesity was necessary. But health service unions have questioned the need to spend such sums on press campaigns around departmental reports.
"Anything spent on the smoking ban was well spent but I really think that people need to remember when they look at these figures that the department already has its own internal health promotion department and public relations staff. Every health agency in the country also has somebody working on communications," said Irish Nurses Organisation general secretary, Liam Doran.
Fine Gael health spokesman, Dr Liam Twomey said money was thrown at many of these reports as they were "politically sensitive" and a hard-sell was needed so they wouldn't cost FF/PD votes.
The department has refuted the claim, saying nearly half the money was spent imparting vital health promotion information.
