Tipperary TD welcomes HSE chief's proposal to move back to the old health board system
Planned changes by the HSE's CEO Bernard Gloster to establish six health regions across the country are being viewed as a positive move, according to Tipperary TD Michael Lowry.
"This plan sounds reminiscent of the former health board era, when obtaining health care was easier and far less traumatic for people. A time when people did not languish on hospital trolleys for hours or even days, or find themselves on waiting lists for months or even years," said Deputy Lowry.
The Independent TD said that a more localised management structure would be better equipped to serve the needs of each region and would be easier and more efficient to navigate.
Prior to the HSE being set up by then Minister for Health Mary Harney, the Mid Western Health Board, which was made up of health professionals, community care workers and local politicians, looked after health care in Tipperary, Limerick and Clare.
Each health board area had its own administrative staff, including a CEO and financial controllers.
"Regional management of health provision is one of the key reforms contained in Sláintecare. Urgent and effective change is crucial," said Deputy Lowry.
The Thurles TD pointed out that the Ireland of today was a very different place to the days of the Health Boards, with an increase in population, demand for all levels of healthcare increasing, standards in medicine and diagnostics advancing enormously, and people being more knowledgeable and diligent about their health requirements.
"Each of these factors have increased pressure on an already dysfunctional system," he said.
Deputy Lowry said that Mr Gloster had stridently stated that the Health allocation for the coming year was insufficient to meet needs.
It was already apparent that a supplementary budget of €1.5bn will be required to bridge the gap, said the Deputy.
"This has become an established but alarming budgetary pattern. There is major and understandable concern that throwing money into the existing bottomless pit that the health service has become is not working. It is not addressing the problems – it is simply bridging the gap year after year.
"Bridging this gap will become insurmountable and our health service will eventually eat into funding required for other crucial sectors of our economy.
"It will be difficult for governments in the future to justify reduced spending on housing and infrastructure or education and business, in order to cater for health. Yet, every year, this scenario seems more and more inevitable," said Deputy Lowry.