Harney and Drumm at odds over HSE losses

HEALTH Minister Mary Harney has challenged claims by health service chief Prof Brendan Drumm that he did not anticipate a loss of income as a byproduct of the new consultants’ contract.

Ms Harney said she wrote to the Health Service Executive (HSE) outlining the budgetary implications.

“I made it clear to the HSE that they could not charge [private health insurers] for patients who were being treated by doctors that had a full-time public salary [category A contract],” Ms Harney said yesterday.