Plans to build private hospitals on the grounds of public hospitals should be scrapped as the numbers of people with health insurance declines, according to Labour health spokeswoman Jan O’Sullivan.
She said the Labour Party completely opposed the principle of providing state land and massive tax incentives which can no longer be afforded for the construction of private hospitals on state land which would result in a duplication of clinical services and further extend the two-tier divide in Irish health care.
“It makes no sense whatsoever to pursue this co-location plan at a time when the percentage of people with private health insurance is falling dramatically and our existing public hospitals are struggling to cope with the demands being placed upon them," she said.
“While there are certainly opportunities to co-ordinate public hospital services in a more efficient manner the plan to offset millions of taxpayers money on tax write offs to deliver more private hospitals is money that could be better spent within the public hospital system.”
“I believe that since no definite figure of just how much this proposed plan will ultimately cost the taxpayer the Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan should withdraw such tax incentives," she added.
Ms O'Sullivan said staff at Limerick Regional Hospital in her own consitutency were under "severe pressure" due to the continued downgrading of facilities and A&E services in regional hospitals in Nenagh, Ennis and St John's Hospital in Limerick and "yet the Government plan to subsidise the building of another private hospital on the same site."