Private health operators profit at public expense

THE story last week that the state is to resort to bringing out the begging bowl to meet a €110m shortfall for the long-promised National Children’s Hospital followed on from the previous day’s statement from Health Minister Mary Harney that the “public” health service will have to endure much deeper cuts next year.

All of this obviously begs the question why the minister is insisting on lavishing our taxes on the private health sector to the obvious detriment of public provision?

The National Treatment Purchase Fund is diverting up to €100m of taxpayers’ money away from the public system this year alone and, given the additional layer of administration and the need to fund the profit element attached to this convoluted system, it can hardly be regarded as “value for money”.