Taxpayers deserve a better deal

FEW institutions of State are more politicised, more cumbersome, more bureaucratic or more fláthúlach with taxpayers’ money than the 11 boards which run the country’s health service.

A damning instance of this was seen in the tragic case of Bronagh Livingstone whose infant death exposed the urgent need for a root and branch overhaul of the system. Radical proposals from the chief executives of the country’s unwieldy and sprawling network of hospitals and services warrant serious consideration. Making boards more strategic in terms of their functions and membership is eminently sensible. Ironically, however, it smacks of management getting a spoke in before the carve-up begins.

Undeniably, we need more effective health boards, with less political representation. Crucially, a balance must be struck between giving more power to experts while delivering a patient-oriented health service.