Health strategy is 'in tatters' - Labour

The National Health Strategy is "in tatters" because of the Government's plans for spending cutbacks, Labour has claimed.

The party's spokeswoman on health, Ms Liz McManus, said that in the light of the publication of an internal Department of Finance memo on spending, the promises made in the "much-vaunted" strategy could not now be delivered.

She called on the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, to clarify publicly the impact of the Government's spending plans on his department.

"We have heard much from the Minister for Health when he was making promises to those dependent on our health service and those working in it. He now has an obligation to spell out precisely what impact these cuts are having on patient care, so that we know the extent of the Government assault on the health services."

Ms McManus said the Government now appeared to be proposing a €50 million cut in current spending next year, in a health service which was already facing grave problems.

Health boards had started cutting jobs and services and it was estimated that by the year's end, there would be overruns of €77 million, arising from exceptional costs in drugs, technology and other items. "In launching the National Health Strategy, the minister promised that by the end of 2002, no adult would wait more than 12 months for hospital care and no child would wait longer than six months.

"A special treatment fund was set up by the minister and within weeks he slashed €15 million from its budget. This objective is now in tatters and unrealisable.

"The minister promised 700 hospital beds to be provided during 2002. This is not going to happen. He promised thousands of new nurses, yet health boards are cutting back on agency nurses. One thousand hospital consultants are promised, yet it is now becoming evident that this is a pipe dream."