HSE gets extra €1.1bn for health services

AN extra €1.1 billion will be provided for the Health Service Executive (HSE) next year, bringing to €12bn the total expenditure on public health services.

The HSE recently imposed a recruitment ban and other cost-cutting measures in an attempt to reduce its financial deficit, running at more than €200 million.

Health Minister Mary Harney said the increase of €935m, or 7%, was arrived at when the nursing home repayment scheme was excluded. “When account is taken of projected savings of €150m in 2008 in the cost of medicines, the true underlying increase is €1,085m or 8.3%,” she pointed out.