SOME €1.4 million has been paid in bonuses to senior managers in the Health Service Executive this year, it has been confirmed.
The sum divided among HSE national directors, assistant national directors and hospital network managers does not yet include a bonus for HSE chief executive Prof Brendan Drumm. His is "still under consideration by the board of the HSE", a spokeswoman said. Last year he received a bonus of €80,000.
The payments made this year are in respect of staff performance in 2007, the HSE said.
In the face of criticism from Fine Gael and Labour over the payment of bonuses at a time of cutbacks, the HSE stressed the performance-related award scheme in the health sector was introduced on the recommendation of the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector and accepted by Government.
Dr James Reilly, Fine Gael's health spokesman, said he was disgusted at the HSE's decision to award bonuses to senior management while patients are in the firing line for savage cutbacks.
"It is now quite clear that when Brian Cowen says that 'nobody will escape' the consequences of the current financial crisis, he means that ordinary people will feel the pain while HSE management are untouched," he said.
He questioned why the bonuses were paid when the flu vaccine for those aged 50-65 years had been cancelled, when there were still hundreds of people on trolleys in AE, and several cancer scandals.
"In a week when our country was transfixed by the potential meltdown in our financial institutions and the Dáil's intervention, the people in charge of the mess in our health service have the breathtaking arrogance to award themselves a bonus," he said.
In a recent reply to a Dáil question, it was confirmed that eight Department of Health staff got a total of €123,000 in bonus payments last year.