Hospitals refuse to divulge source of payments

A number of hospitals whose executives are in receipt of private top-up payments over and above their HSE-funded remuneration have refused to elaborate on where the money is coming from.

Detailed queries to three maternity hospitals asking about the source of funding for allowances paid to the hospitals’ masters and some senior executives went unanswered yesterday.

The National Maternity Hospital declined to respond to specific queries as to the source of privately-funded remuneration paid to the master of the hospital, Dr Rhona Mahony, and another executive. Department of Health figures indicate Dr Mahony's remuneration package totals €281,892, including a "privately funded allowance" of €45,000. The report from the department also states that the hospital's secretary/manager is in receipt of a privately funded allowance of €39,000.

According to the report the master of the Rotunda Hospital, Sam Coulter Smith, is in receipt of a total remuneration package of €306,116, part of which comes from a "privately funded allowance" of €20,000 while the hospital's secretary/general manager receives a total remuneration package of €131,082, which includes a privately funded allowance of €17,000. A spokesman for the Rotunda said the hospital "cannot comment on these matters at this stage".

A spokesman for the Coombe hospital clarified that a “master’s allowance” paid as part of the master’s overall remuneration package of €247,121 actually stood at €53,009 at the time an audit was completed in 2012 and not €63,559 as stated in the Department of Health report. It said the balance was made up of payments for “on-call allowances”.