Irish health budget cuts the highest in the EU

Ireland, under huge pressure from the troika to slash its health spend, cut the amount of money it spends by more than any other EU country in 2010.

But despite the reductions, the country is still the highest spender on pharmaceuticals, paying out an average of €528 per person per year. This is 50% above the average and almost 70% higher than Denmark’s.

The report, released by the European Commission and the OECD, shows that Ireland increased the spend on health services by 8.4% in real terms between 2000 and 2009.