HSE hospital budget cut to have ‘catastrophic’ effect

A SENIOR doctor has warned of “catastrophic” effects after his hospital’s budget was slashed under a scheme to reward efficient hospitals.

Mallow General in Co Cork was one of several hospitals around the country whose budgets were cut by the Health Service Executive (HSE) last week under its case-mix system of budget allocation. The HSE uses this method to compare activity and costs between hospitals by analysing each one’s mix of patients and how money is spent.

However, Dr Cornelius Cronin, who works as a physician at the hospital, said the €571,234 reduction in its budget will have a “catastrophic” effect on a budget that is already under “constant enormous strain”.