Cutbacks threaten viability of regional hospitals, says union
Responding to claims by Health Minister Mary Harney that up to €1 billion will be cut from the HSE budget, SIPTU’s acting national health organiser Paul Bell said “past experience shows that the axe wielded by Ms Harney and the HSE is too blunt to ensure savings are not at the expense of services being delivered directly to the public.”
Mr Bell added: “All the evidence from the past is that if these cuts go ahead they will hit services such as home helps, mental health and elective surgery for people waiting for things like hip and knee replacements.
