Calls for an extra €1.4bn in health funding

HOSPITAL consultants have urged the Government to provide an extra €1.4 billion in funding for the health service next year.

Timely access to healthcare was a basic right that should not be denied even in “tightening” budget circumstances, the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) insisted yesterday when it published its pre-budget submission.

“The Government has two choices — to fund what is required in the health service or tell the public that the funding is not there and where the cutbacks will be,” said IHCA president Dr Paul Oslizlok.