Mallow penalised for HSE ‘inefficiency’

A SUPPORT group says health officials should take pay cuts for their inefficiencies, rather than penalise a Co Cork hospital for its inefficiencies.

The Friends of Mallow General Hospital are furious that the Department of Health has cut the hospital’s budget by €571,234, under a “case-mix” review, which penalises inefficient hospitals and awards efficient ones.

That represents a 3% cut on its annual €16 million budget. The support group believes such a cut could seriously affect the hospital’s day-to-day running.

Friends of Mallow General Hospital spokesman Noel O’Connor said: “I cannot accept the logic of this. It is based on 2006 figures when the hospital had the lowest complement of staff and the lowest budget of all acute hospitals nationally.”

The support group is concerned that HSE management’s inefficiencies have been overlooked.

“Why isn’t the scandalous situation of the CT scanner taken into account. It was approved in 2004 and it is still not in operation... because nobody has yet been appointed to operate it,” said Mr O’Connor.

“Also, serious construction work is needed in the hospital and it has continuously been deferred by the HSE. This too, in my opinion, has skewed the case-mix study in a biased way against Mallow General Hospital.”

Two years ago the HSE gave “priority” to the construction of a day procedures unit at Mallow and a facility specifically for the elderly. It was unable to provide funding and it is uncertain if these projects will go ahead.

Mr O’Connor, also Mayor of Mallow and a councillor, said the support group would call on Health Minister Mary Harney, not to penalise the hospital when inefficiencies of the HSE are not being factored in.