Donegal is facing more cutbacks to local health services, the withdrawal of more medical cards, longer hospital waiting lists, more frontline staff shortages and cuts to long term care facilities under the HSE Service Plan for 2014 published today.
Charlie McConalogue TD
Local Fianna Fáil Deputy Charlie McConalogue has described the plan as a ‘sham’ and says it’s clear that frontline health services in Donegal will be badly hit.
“This plan isn’t worth the paper it is written on. It aims to slash a further €619 million from the national health budget next year.
“But when you look into the detail, €108 million of that is ‘unspecified cuts’. Where exactly does the Minister intend to get this from?
“The HSE has actually admitted that even they have no idea where the €108 million from.
“Every single year since coming into office we have seen the Health Minister James Reilly create chaos with his budget, forcing him into making more cuts to our front-line health services throughout the year.
“It’s the patients in Donegal and across the country that suffer as a result. Looking at this plan, it seems we can expect further chaos and more severe cuts in 2014.
“The HSE has itself specified serious risks associated with this plan.
“It says the lack of Government investment in long stay care homes means there’s a risk of more bed closures resulting in greater pressure on our local hospitals and even longer hospital and community waiting times.
“Health services here in Donegal are already stretched beyond capacity, staff are under more pressure than ever before and waiting lists have already spiralled out of control.
“There is simply no way of slashing a further €619 million more without hitting our front-line services again and again, and further affecting patient care.
“The scale of the impact of cuts in Donegal won’t be known until the regional service plan is published in the New Year.
“It means that local health providers remain in the dark about their budgets for next year. But the bottom line is that Donegal’s health services cannot take any more cuts.
“The Government TD’s here in Donegal need to start standing up for patients here and enough is enough.”