Sir, – The recent focus on unfilled consultant posts and huge numbers on health service waiting lists again raises questions about the management of our health service.
Overall spending on health here remains in line with the OECD average, and our population is relatively young in comparison with our EU peers.
This suggests that Irish taxpayer resources are being misallocated to the wrong areas of our health service.
Unfortunately, while doctors and nurses are subject to regulatory body oversight, no regulatory body oversight of HSE and Department of Health Management exists.
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The concern must be that as the population ages, we simply will not be able to cope with the increased demand for services.
The Minister for Health now needs to look at setting up an independent regulatory body to oversee the HSE and Department of Health management performance in order to bring them into line with their medical colleagues.
Without rigorous oversight of health service spending, it is very difficult to see how we will be able afford to hire sufficient consultants. – Yours, etc,
RUARY MARTIN,
Sandyford,
Dublin 18.