Martin warns hospitals to stay within budgets

The Minister for Health today warned regional health authorities that they must remain within their budgets as there is no more money available.

However, Mr Mr Micheál Martin insisted the quality of patient care "will not be compromised" as a result of budget allocations to the health sector this year. This is despite the fact that three Dublin hospitals have announced in the past week that they are being forced to cut services because of financial difficulties.

Yesterday, the Mater Hospital announced a 10 per cent cutback in activity levels and services in an effort to curb its mounting financial crisis. The cutbacks include a ban on filling vacancies, recruitment and training and will be the equivalent of losing 50 beds. Last week the hospital announced that a 22-bed unit was being closed.

SIPTU reacted angrily to the news of staff reductions at the Mater, saying it would be seeking full access to the hospital's financial records.

Beaumont Hospital said last week it is facing financial difficulties, while St Luke's Radiotherapy Hospital warned today it is experiencing severe difficulties in meeting the rising demand for its services.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Irelandtoday, Mr Martin insisted the Eastern Region Health Service, which is responsible for the hospitals, "will have to manage within the budget that has been allocated." He insisted that according to the EHRA statement, there won't be a threat to cancer or heart services.

"I will have to manage within the budget that I have received from the Minister for Finance," Mr Martin said.

"We have our allocation and the health system is going to have to live within the allocation we have received."

"There is a process in place which the Eastern Region Health Authority statutorily is obliged to conclude with the Dublin Teaching Hospitals.

"I'm not going to prematurely intervene in any situation which would undermine the entire edifice upon which financial accountability is based and upon which management decisions have to be taken," he said.

The minister also rejected claims from the Irish Hospitals Consultants' Association that the latest cutbacks were adding to the "air of desperation" among patients, particularly those suffering from heart disease and cancer.

Mr Martin said the Government has earmarked an extra€952 million after the revised estimate this year for the health service. "The bulk of that is going towards pay," he said, adding that benchmarking alone will add€185 million in 2003.

"Consultants benefit from that, nurses benefit from that, all of the professionals and the non-professional staff within the health service are benefiting from the increased investment, because the bulk of it is going into staff and improving the quality of the service delivered by staff."

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, defended Mr Martin in the Dáil this morning, accusing hospitals of exceeding their budgets.

Mr Ahern questioned how health service administrators can report financial difficulties despite extra public money being poured into the sector.

"It does puzzle me how we can give so much resources, so much staff, so much equipment and there are still difficulties," he said.

"But we still have to try to deal with that and there is nobody working harder than the minister and his three ministers of state to try to achieve that."