HSE Payments For Phantom Jobs While Cobh Hospital Future Lies In The Balance

While hospitals like Cobh Hospital and beds are being closed right left and centre and while nursing hours are being cut back right across the health services, it is very odd that there is no apparent shortage of money in our health services when it comes to paying people for jobs that don’t exist Cobh Councillor John Mulvihill snr has stated.

We now know that the HSE has spent hundreds of thousands of euro on salaries for senior managers in the National Paediatric Hospital, despite the fact that it won’t open until 2014 at the earliest.

We also learned that under Brendan Drumm, the HSE splashed out €3m on various spin doctors and advisers despite the fact that other people were employed within the HSE to carry out similar functions.

Details of the HSE’s ‘Skill’ Programme which facilitated HSE officials and others heading off on jollies around the world at the taxpayers expense to the tune of some €60m is staggering.

At the same time we see:
* We see a serious question mark hanging over the future of Cobh hospital.
* Staffing levels being slashed, virtually across the board
* Medical card holders being forced to pay up as much as €10 a month for vital medication
* Wards being closed in many hospitals

In con conclusion Cllr Mulvihill asked “How can we expect members of the public, and users of healthcare services to give any credibility to claims from this Fianna Fáil/Green government and various commentators that we need to cut back on expenditure, when we see money being misspent and wasted hand over fist, right under the nose of HSE bosses and the Minister for Health, Mary Harney.”