Harney backs HSE after decision to grant 'fantastic' Drumm €70,000 bonus

Minister for Health Mary Harney today expressed her support for the board of the Health Service Executive after a lucrative €70,000 bonus was approved for HSE chief Professor Brendan Drumm.

Unions and Opposition parties hit out at the payment to Drumm when hospital budgets are being slashed, beds being closed and nurses threatening industrial action.

Health Minister Ms Harney insisted that the approval of the bonus paid to Mr Drumm should not be a matter for her as Minister of Health.

“The last thing we need is a meddling minister getting involved in contractual issues around individuals,” said Ms Harney.

“This is entirely a matter for the board of the HSE.

“I have total confidence in the board of the HSE and I must say I think the CEO of the HSE [Prof Drumm] does a fantastic job.”

The Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) claimed the bonus to the chief executive of the Health Service Executive (HSE) would have employed two new nurses.

Fine Gael said the figure was unjustifiable.

“A €70,000 bonus, twice the average industrial wage, on top of a €320,000 salary for the head of our broken health service is outrageous at a time when 300 patients were lying on trolleys around the country,” said the party’s health spokesman Dr James Reilly.

“It is impossible that this level of performance could be deemed worthy of a bonus like this.”

Prof Drumm, a former paediatrician, became chief executive of the new HSE in August of 2005 with the aim of radically reforming the health system.

But as the State’s coffers plummeted in the economic downturn, the health service was hit with massive budget cuts.

Last month, Prof Drumm warned next year’s funding would be slashed by a further €800m.

The HSE confirmed the performance-related award was approved by its board based on Prof Drumm’s work in 2007, adding it had suspended any awards for 2008.

However, during the same year, the health service was rattled by scandals with nurses staging massive walkouts, breast cancer misdiagnosis, and one mother dying from bowel cancer because of long waiting lists.

INO general secretary Liam Doran warned the payment will add to its on-going campaign to fight any further cuts to the pay and conditions of frontline staff in the health service.

“This is the most recent example of the blatant double standards which are now the norm in Irish society,” said Mr Doran.

“This practice sees senior management protect their interests while imposing savage and damaging cuts on their staff.

“The INO will now be insisting that the HSE adopt the same approach to our members and as it has to its CEO and withdraw the threat of further cuts to existing pay and conditions of employment.”

Labour’s Jan O’Sullivan said the HSE was beset by controversies in 2007.

“Now we are to respond to these failures, not by bringing the HSE management to book, but by giving the head of the organisation a pat on the back worth almost twice the average industrial wage,” said Ms O’Sullivan.

“This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.”

Sinn Féin’s Caoimhghin O Caolain said it was nauseating the bonus was approved a time when the current regime of health cutbacks was first imposed.