Some consultants ‘brazen, immoral’ says health minister

Health Minister Simon Harris has branded as “brazen, immoral, and unfair” the consultants who treat private patients during their publicly contracted hours.

However he downplayed the failure of his own department to carry out an audit to ensure consultants were adhering to the 80:20 ratio of public to private practice set out in the 2008 consultants’ contract. The contract states implementation of the ratio “shall be the subject of audit including audit by the Department of Health”.

Addressing the Joint Oireachtas Health Committee Mr Harris said his department had been engaged with the HSE for “a number of months” about introducing a more rigorous monitoring system. with the aim of having it in place in 2018.