Clash after PAC chair tells health chiefs to quit
During a heated exchange at the latest meeting of the public spending watchdog, PAC chair John McGuinness lashed out at Department of Health secretary general Ambrose McLoughlin and HSE director general Tony O’Brien for ongoing health service problems.
After being told the system could be €500m over-budget by year-end, will not be able to return 1,190 discretionary medical cards removed after appeals from seriously ill people since January despite heralded reform plans, and is still facing key staff shortages, he said the issue has become a broken tape.
Mr McGuinness challenged Mr McLoughlin to say whether he believed the HSE budget was adequate, but was instead told by the senior official: “I am not in a position to answer.”
Irate, he insisted both civil servants have “failed” in their duties to the public, and should resign immediately.
“[If health is] a business, on all of the major fronts you have failed,” said Mr McGuinness. “As a representative of the shareholders here… both of you should resign because it seems to me that this is some sort of Groundhog Day.
“This is Groundhog Day. We are dealing with the same issues all the time.”
Mr McLoughlin staunchly defended himself from the criticism, insisting he and Mr O’Brien are working at a time when the health service budget has been cut by €3bn since 2008, staff levels have fallen by 12,000, and officials are having to do “less with less”.
However, Dr Reilly went further, telling Mr McGuinness it is Fianna Fáil and not current officials who are to blame.
“As minister for health, I reject the suggestion that the health services can be viewed as a business, but I agree with Mr McGuinness that the HSE as a structure for delivering healthcare is not fit for purpose,” said Dr Reilly.
“It is a central plank of policy to abolish the HSE, a failed organisation established by Fianna Fáil. The cuts in funding and in staffing levels, forced on the system by the economic mismanagement of the last Government, have been profound.
“John McGuinness is right to point out failings in our health structures. But he is wrong to attack the leadership who are maintaining the services in such difficult circumstances and who have my confidence.”
The PAC had earlier heard from Comptroller and Auditor General, Seamus McCarthy, who said since 2008, the HSE has needed a supplementary budget to ensure it can continue to run.
“This raises concerns about the effectiveness of its budget planning... Budgeting for future periods is inevitably subject to error because of inherent uncertainty and factors that may be outside the budget holders’ control.” &
Meanwhile, the committee has been told 1,190 seriously ill people who have lost their discretionary medical cards and have been turned down on appeal since January will not see the cards returned until after new laws are implemented.
The issue — linked to HSE budget problems — comes despite Government moves to postpone existing reviews.
Mr Brien said another key health service reform, free GP care for under-sixes, will still be implemented “this year” at a cost of €37m — despite a belief the discretionary medical cards changes risked taking the previously earmarked funds.
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