HSE chief’s €32,000 bonus ‘is premature’

HEALTH professionals and opposition TDs have described the payment of a €32,000 bonus on top of a €400,000 salary to health service chief Professor Brendan Drumm as premature and incomprehensible.

According to the HSE, the bonus was based on Prof Drumm achieving leadership, staff management and budgetary targets such as balancing the budget since his uptake of the post. The payment was also made on the proviso he completed the transition from the old health board structure to the four-region Health Service Executive structure.

Prof Drumm has been head of the HSE for nine months and is charged with implementing the Government’s plan to modernise the health services.