Councillors are to debate new health board structures at a special two-day conference organised by the Local Authority Members Association (LAMA) in Galway early next month, writes Patsy McArdle
Details were given at the weekend of a series of proposals put to the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, by the LAMA, on behalf of some 900 members of city, borough, county and town councils.
The councillors are seeking urgent talks with Mr Martin about the proposed reform of health boards and are seeking continued representation. The general secretary of the association, Longford-based Sen James Bannon said: "We want to discuss with Minister Martin the right of each county council to nominate representatives to the new health boards."
"In our submission to the Minister we have made that point together with proposals for the establishment of new county health committees, composed of public representatives appointed by local authorities.
"We want county health committees, composed only of public representatives elected by local authorities, to be a forum for administrators to account for the supply of public health facilities within that county, and to play a consultative role in relation to the formulation, implementation, and monitoring of services.
"Minister Martin has accepted that the Prospectus Strategy Consultants, who have been involved in a study of the health services, do not consider that over-runs in the health services are due, in any way, to the cost of local authority representatives on the boards."
He said the association had told Mr Martin in its submission that to remove local authority members from health boards would "fly in the face of real democracy".