Ireland lags in health spending, report shows

ONE in four Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries spend more than 10% of income on health, but Ireland is not one of them.

“Despite Minister Mary Harney’s insistence that we spend more on health than many of our European counterparts, the OECD figures clearly show this is not the case,” said Labour’s Deputy Liz McManus.

The OECD health data report shows per capita health spending increased by more than 80% in real terms between 1990 and 2005 on average in OECD countries, outpacing the 37% growth in GDP per capita.

“As long as health spending continues to outpace economic growth, governments will either need to raise taxes or social security contributions, reduce spending in other areas or make people pay more out of their own pockets for health goods and services,” the report states.

Ms McManus said: “Even though Ireland is one of the richest countries in the EU, the OECD has confirmed that we are seriously lagging behind in our health service.”

She said the report showed that “statistically Ireland spends one of the lowest shares of national income on health care in the developing world.”

Ireland was in 17th place with a ratio of 2.8 doctors to 1,000 population, she said.