Stephen Donnelly accused of 'making it up as he goes along' amid criticism of health budget

Stephen Donnelly said his plans are constrained by a rise in patient numbers. Picture: Brian Lawless

The health minister has been accused of "making it up as he goes along" amid stinging opposition criticism of the budget for health services.

Stephen Donnelly's department was handed a €22.5bn budget in Tuesday's announcement, but that will feature little in the way of additional money as Mr Donnelly said his plans are constrained by rises in patient numbers linked to post-pandemic effects.

Speaking during Leaders' Questions, Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty slammed the outlay and the Government for what he deemed a lack of action on a plethora of health issues.

"Our health services are under enormous and unprecedented pressure. Hospitals are persistently and dangerously overcrowded to record levels," he said.

Hundreds of thousands of people are on treatment waiting lists. Kids are left in agony and spinal procedures that would change their lives are going undelivered. 

"Children and adolescent mental health services are on the floor and nurses, doctors, and other frontline staff are working under conditions that are so difficult that we have a serious recruitment and retention crisis across the board. 

"The chronic and deepening crisis in health sees so many of our people locked out of the care they need.

"Yet, looking at the budget, you would believe that the Government thought none of this was happening. At a time when the crisis has never been worse, it beggars belief that health was not a priority for the Government in its budget."

Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty said Stephen Donnelly 'makes it up as he goes along'. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Mr Doherty said that Mr Donnelly "makes it up as he goes along" and had been "hung out to dry by a Government that has backed his incompetence every step of the way".

However, Tánaiste Micheál Martin defended his Fianna Fáil colleague, arguing that the Government had overseen an expansion of contraception services, scans, and GP card access.

"To put that in context, up to 60% of our population now hold a GP card or medical card. We have reduced the cost of the drug payment scheme," he said.

"We have funded diagnostic scans for patients. We have introduced free contraception to women up to the age of 31. We are now publicly funding assisted human reproduction, including IVF. 

"We have agreed a new consultant contract with over 800 consultants already signed up. There has been a 22% reduction in the number of patients on waiting lists who are exceeding the Sláintecare waiting time targets since the covid-19-related peak."

The response from Mr Doherty was followed by a back-and-forth between the Government and opposition benches, with Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien saying that the Sinn Féin approach to the debate was "pathetic" as Mr Martin accused Mr Doherty of shouting in a bid to stop him responding.