Health budget criticism has been 'overly-personal', says Tánaiste

Tanaiste Micheal Martin during the officially opening of the Joe and Helen O'Toole Community Nursing Unit in Tuam, Co Galway. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

There has been "an over-personalization" of criticism of the health budget, the Tánaiste has said.

Speaking in Tuam, Co Galway today, Micheál Martin said that much of the criticism aimed at Health Minister Stephen Donnelly had been too personal.

Mr Donnelly has come under criticism for his department's management of its finances, requiring €1.8bn in additional funding this year and with HSE boss Bernard Gloster saying that his allocation for next year will be below what is required.

Mr Martin told the Irish Examiner that issues had been seen across the health sector in recruitment.

"It clearly is an over-personalization of the issue. I mean, the government in its entirety was responsible for budgets. But we are conscious and we do have a cabinet subcommittee that meets regularly," he said.

"Enormous resources have been put into health in the last couple of years. During Covid we actually dealt with structural deficits that was there in 2019 and into 2020. And services have expanded of that there. was no doubt but even in those increased allocations. 

"The Health Service hasn't always been able to recruit staff even with the funding, they will cite maybe difficulty in recruiting people and so on like that, but we've seen that in Disability Services in particular, and we've seen it in some aspects of Home Health for example in home care, and mental health services as well for that matter where the base funding is there, but they simply haven't been able to recruit."

Mr Martin said that a deeper look at Health finances was necessary.

"We need to kind of have a deep dive on this too. And where we started, we've expanded healthcare and we're happy to do that and we don't to go back.

"There has to be deeper analysis of health spending, in parallel with an analysis of growing demographics and ageing as a population. That has implications. Yes, in terms of terms of additional services. But funding has dramatically increased. I mean, it's €1.8bn this year, additional increase to health services. And if you look over the last three years, I think you're looking at €7bn additional to health issue leads examination and government. We continue to work on that with relevant ministers."

He said that the HSE "has to work with government".