The Department of Finance is to immediately seek the views of the Department of Health on comments in relation to health spending contained in an ESRI report to be published today.
A draft copy of the report, details of which were published in The Irish Times yesterday, queries the need for an extra 3,000 acute hospital beds in the Irish health sector between now and 2011. A commitment to open these beds is contained in the national health strategy published in 2001.
The draft report says it was difficult to justify committing public money to building new beds when one in five beds in public hospitals are designated for private or semi-private use. Furthermore it says the first priority should be to ensure that all beds in public hospitals remain open.
The Irish Patients Association (IPA) said when it contacted the Department of Health about the report yesterday it was told the Department had not yet received a copy.
The IPA chairman, Mr Stephen McMahon, contacted the Department of Finance which issued a statement saying: "The Department of Finance is currently examining the ESRI report and will be seeking the views of the Department of Health and Children in relation to the issues raised. All such views will be taken on board in the context of future deliberations on spending in the health sector".
Mr McMahon said he would have grave concerns at any miscalculation of bed capacity requirements "that were so carefully worked up and advised to Irish society, not only by the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, but also by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste at the launch of the national health strategy two years ago". Fine Gael's health spokeswoman Ms Olivia Mitchell said it appeared that if the ESRI had its way almost two million more people would be forced into the public health system. The ESRI report will also call for an end to tax breaks for building private hospitals, saying that, for the most part, the very sick are treated in the public system.
She said if private beds were taken out of public hospitals, the hospitals would be denied the vital additional funds they earn from private patients, and which help keep public beds open and available to non-insured patients.
Meanwhile the National Disability Authority yesterday called on the Government to provide increased supports to disabled people to allow them a greater range of accommodation options rather than being housed inappropriately, in some instances in acute hospital beds.