HSE needs €130m to break even by year’s end

The HSE’s latest performance report has admitted an additional €130m of “cost and cash measures” will be needed over the next three months if it is to break even by year’s end.

Department of Health secretary general Dr Ambrose McLoughlin yesterday told the Oireachtas Committee on Health the overspend in the health service had reached €330m by the end of August.

The HSE’s July 2012 performance report gave a deficit of €179.6m in hospitals, €121m in Community Drug Schemes and €66.3m for community services. Beaumont Hospital’s overspend stood at €17m, the Mid West Regional at €14.6m, Galway University Hospital is €11.9m in the red and Cork University Hospital has overspent by €10.3m.