01/03/2013

HSE Plans Reveal Job Losses And Unit Closures

A series of HSE plans to cut health spending by €721m reveal major changes to small hospitals and potentially big reductions in staff numbers.

Part of the plans includes the closure of Mallow General Hospital’s emergency department, with emergency surgery being moved to Cork University Hospital.

Also in Co Cork, the casualty unit at Bantry General Hospital will be replaced by a 12-hour urgent care centre operating seven days a week.

The HSE plan to cut almost 4,000 posts this year, although some regions warn this target may be difficult to achieve. Some 750 posts are to go in Dublin North-East and more than 1,300 in Dublin Mid-Leinster.

Minister for Health James Reilly said it was clear that the cost of services had to be cut in the current economic climate.

“I think you’ll find that the new regional budgets will have a lot of positive news in them for the regions,” he told reporters in Dublin yesterday. “I think the way that the new budget has been done has protected a lot of the services that we need to protect.”

However, the HSE did also reveal that there will be an increase of 60,000 in the number of medical cards issued because of high unemployment and demographic changes.

(H/GK)

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