Health service - Efficiency, not money, is the solution

HEALTH Minister Mary Harney announced plans yesterday for spending her department’s mammoth budget of €15 billion, which comes to a quarter of the Government’s whole Budget.

She intends to spend €395 million extra next year, with almost two-thirds of that going on services for older people.

The aim is to increase the number of home care packages, and support for elderly people living at home with their families, or in their own communities, as well as those in residential care.

There are also plans to spend around a €100m extra on mental and disability help for people. A further €7m has been allocated for sexual treatment units, rape crisis and domestic violence centres, with new sexual assault units to be opened in Galway and Tullamore.

Twenty-four nurses are being trained in forensic testing to help gardaí.

If the promised services are provided, they will be welcomed, but experience should have thought us that just throwing money at health problems over the years has not been the solution.

The Department of Health and the Health Service Executive stand out as the most expensive and extravagant in the public sector. A fortune was wasted on a computerised payroll system for employees.

As a result, it should not come as any surprise that 58% of the people are dissatisfied with the health service.

Money should be spent primarily on patients and providing services for patients and people with disabilities in need of assistance — not on more bureaucracy, or bungling technology for bureaucrats. The minister will be judged, not on providing funds, but on her ability to ensure productive efficiency.