HSE is facing € 800 Million Budget Cuts

Today the Chief Executive of the Health Service Executive (HSE) has confirmed that the Department of Health has instructed him "to draw up plans to cut next year's budget by at least an additional € 800 million".

Speaking on the Sunday programme This Week on RTÉ Radio 1, Prof. Brendan Drumm (photo) said the HSE would have "to cut at least 6000 jobs in the coming years if substantial savings could not be achieved".

Prof. Drumm also announced that he will not seek a renewal of his contract when his five-year term as head of the HSE comes to an end in 2010.
"Five years are a sensible period of time," he said, "but ten years in the same position might be too long for one man and lead to unexpected problems."

Irish Government plans to ban Bedsits

After banning smoking in public and proper light bulbs, the Irish government is now also planning to ban the traditional rented bedsits, as part of a series of new measures, trying to improve standards in the Irish rented accommodation sector.

A new government proposal will see one-room units phased out by new regulations, insisting that rental units should have their own sanitary facilities.

The idea of fading out the many thousands of poor quality bedsits is to be welcomed in general, and the move is actually overdue. It could and should have come years ago, when there was more than enough money available to modernise and improve old apartments.

But now, as economic recession is hitting the whole country and causes great financial distress for many of us, the measure will turn out to be a double-edged sword. Most of these old bedsits, many with facilities of 1950s and 1960s standard, are owned by dodgy landlords who not even declare their earnings from them. The units are predominantly rented by the most vulnerable and poor people in the country, especially unemployed single people, recipients of social welfare and incapacity benefit, and also a good number of elderly people, living on their own.

Since the influx of many foreign workers into Ireland in recent years, a lot of these bedsits are now also occupied by people from eastern Europe, who come here to work and send as much money as possible home to their families. So they go for the cheapest possible option when it comes to accommodation, which is in Ireland the old bedsit with very little comfort and facilities. There are seldom rent books and documents, and the rent is usually paid in cash and collected by the landlord himself every week. Thus many landlords, who are not far removed from the old slum lords of 19th and early 20th century Irish tenements and often lead a shady life, make plenty of money from their bedsits without ever paying a single Cent in taxes.

It is - as I said above - a positive step in the right direction to tackle this problem, close bedsits that are barely fit for habitation and make the landlords to renovate their properties and pay at last their taxes. But the question is how the new law will be enforced? Will we see hundreds of housing inspectors going around the country, checking on rented properties and their occupants and owners? Or will we just have another piece of meaningless legislation, with looks nice on the statute books, but has no real impact on the ground?

Given my experience with Irish politicians, local authorities and landlords, I suspect that it will be the latter. There are already plenty of regulations in place under which a good percentage of old and dingy bedsits should be taken out of the market, as they are shambolic at best and even a health hazard for the occupants at worst. But nothing has happened for years. All is going on as it has been for decades, with the most poor and vulnerable tenants being exploited by landlords who grow rich and fat on them.

So one has to wonder why the government is coming up with this proposal now? The answer is actually quite simple. Rents have been falling, and continue to fall in value, all across the country.
In fact rents have fallen to their lowest levels in more than two years now, according to one of Ireland's biggest property websites.

Analysts say that Irish rents have dropped by an average of 3% across the country in the past three months, due to what it called "the dramatic increase in the number of properties available to rent".

This is of course the result of the uncontrolled and nonsensical building boom during the years of the 'Celtic Tiger', when within just a few years new apartment blocks were built everywhere, and with no regards to real demands.
Here in Waterford alone I know several of these massive blocks which are more than half empty. And if the Department of Health and the Department of Social and Family Affairs would not put large numbers of - mostly African - asylum seekers in there at the taxpayers' expense, they would be 80% empty.

At the start of November, there were over 18,000 properties available to rent nationwide, up 133% on the level of the same time last year.

Economist Ronan Lyons says that "2006 and 2007 saw an unprecedented number of new homes built in Ireland - probably over 170,000 in two years. With no shortage of unsold properties, rents can be expected to continue to fall for perhaps another 12 months".
"Much lower numbers of new homes built from 2009 on - perhaps only 55,000 over the course of 2009 and 2010 - should bring Ireland's property market back into balance," he added.

So, what is really behind the new government proposal? It is not the concern for poor tenants in dingy little bedsits with no proper facilities. And it is not the will to collect taxes from dodgy and unscrupulous landlords, who are well-known to local authorities and politicians, and often even welcome financial supporters of Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael.

No, the real reason for the new proposal - and for its timing - is that the government's friends in the property industry, the many developers who became millionaires on the back of the 'Celtic Tiger' and just kept building and building new apartments like mad - and with borrowed money - are now facing real financial difficulties. So they come running to their friends in high places, asking for help.

The government's answer seems now to force low income tenants out of their bedsits and into a vast array of empty modern apartments they really cannot afford, even at a time of low rents.
Thus the developers will have a new source of income, which might help them to survive the current crisis and economic recession.

And who will pay for all this? You and me, and every taxpayer in the country. Because the poor bedsit tenants cannot afford the rents for modern apartments, they will apply for - and receive - rent allowance from the Department of Health.
At the same time the owners of the old bedsits will apply for - and receive - improvement grants for their buildings, also paid out by the government, which means from our taxes.

None of these measures have been properly budgeted for, and are not even mentioned in the 2009 Budget. So the money will have to be found elsewhere, and most likely be brought into an emergency 'mini budget' next year, which will come anyway as things stand now.

If the government would really care for those who live in bad old bedsits with no proper cooking and sanitary facilities, they would pass a new law that defines the minimum standards for rented accommodation and make the landlords responsible for it, with the explicit provision that they will not be allowed to raise the rent after they have made the required improvements.
Those who make their main income from bedsits are wealthy people, and in the current situation they would not want to lose their tenants. So they would - and would have to - comply with new rules, and still make plenty of money.

Once again we see the government proposing what looks at first glance like a good idea, but after examination of the details it turns out to be just another scam. But then again, what else can one expect from Fianna Fáil?

The Emerald Islander

HSE endangers the Lives of 200,000 People

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has accused the Health Service Executive (HSE) of incompetence and acting irresponsibly.

This comes after the HSE told Irish doctors that they can no longer make the strongly recommended flu vaccine available free of charge to all people over the age of 50.

Last month, an expert group advised the Department of Health that everyone over 50 should receive it this winter.
But up to now, the vaccine has only been provided to people aged 65 years and older who have a medical card.

The IMO says that it has now discovered that the extension of the programme was scrapped quietly.
This means that the free vaccination of all people over 50, which has been strongly advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and which was announced by HSE and government with some pride, is not going to happen.

In a letter to all Irish GPs, the HSE said the extension of the scheme, which was already advised to doctors in distributed information, will not proceed this year! This decision is connected to Ireland's worsening financial circumstances.

IMO President Dr. Martin Daly said that he believes the HSE did not do its homework on the budget required to administer the scheme. The costs should have been foreseen, he said, and accused the HSE of acting irresponsibly.

Dr. Daly is quite right. The HSE is indeed incompetent and acts irresponsibly. And I would go even further and accuse them of potential manslaughter through gross negligence!

I am over 50, so I am personally affected by this blunder. And I am angry about it. Very angry, and very concerned. If you are over 50 and live in Ireland, you should be angry and concerned, too.

Should we have a bad winter this year and flu is spreading, more than 200,000 people - 5% of Ireland's population, including me - will be without adequate medical protection!
Welcome to Mary Harney's Apartheid-style third world health service!

What are we supposed to do? Is this perhaps a subtle attempt to kill a significant portion of those who are over 50 and slowly but surely approaching retirement age? One wonders... and can only hope to survive until the age of 65, when one is regarded again as worthy to receive proper flu protection.

This is a major medical and political scandal, and I urge every TD, regardless of party, to intervene on behalf of Ireland's most experienced and qualified workforce, the people over 50.

Beyond that I also take this very personal, as a deliberate attempt on my life by the HSE, Mary Harney and the State.
I will thus seek legal advise and explore if my natural right to life - and that of 200,000 others in the same situation - has been violated by the HSE.

The (very angry) Emerald Islander

Homeless die while Facilities stand unused

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has said it is "actively in negotiations" with the Department of Health "to obtain funds to meet the needs of homeless people in Ireland". (The language alone rolls up my toe nails and tells me that absolutely nothing is done, except bureaucrats wrapping themselves in their legalistic language.)

This follows a report by RTÉ's Prime Time TV programme, which found that newly built homeless accommodation is not used because the HSE says it "could not afford the staff needed to operate them".

Last night's programme reported that the HSE's decision to cut this year's funding for the homeless services is jeopardising a government plan, aimed at eliminating the problem.

Seven homeless people died in Dublin alone in a two-week period over Easter this year, and at the same time at least five major homeless facilities in Dublin were either lying idle or being totally under-utilised due to a lack of HSE funding!
A 30-bed facility in James Street was due to open earlier this year but remains closed, while in Brunswick Street only seven of 17 family units have been used since January.

Prime Time also reported that a new homeless service in Middle Abbey Street has been denied HSE funding for its running costs, and in Cork Street an emergency accommodation facility for homeless people with special needs remains still under-utilised. And in Bolton Street, the future of a proposed accommodation facility also hangs in the balance. And this is only the situation in Dublin. There are also homeless people in other Irish cities and towns, where there is often no facility for them at all.

So while the Taoiseach and his extensive traveling party, which includes old party chums and family members, is staying at one of the most expensive hotels in Washington D.C. - at taxpayers' expense - the homeless of Dublin, who were always one of Bertie Ahern's concerns, are neglected because the HSE claims a lack of funds. What a den of hypocrites we are... and a real banana republic without bananas.

The Emerald Islander

Low Use of Medical Care in Ireland

Irish people are among the lowest users of medical care when compared with other OECD countries. This is the result of a public management review by the international Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

It says that the number of surgical procedures in Ireland each year is low, while on average patients who are admitted spend more time in hospital than they would in most other countries. This is possibly due to serious difficulties in finding adequate convalescent or nursing home care in Ireland.

The report says that the Republic of Ireland has around twice the OECD average of practicing nurses, and that between 1995 and 2007 the number of employees working in the health sector rose by 73%.

It calls for stronger governance arrangements and the sharing of information between the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health, so that the Health Minister is fully aware of developments when making statements. This is not more than common sense, but sadly it is exactly one of the traits Mary Harney lacks.

In relation to the planned hospital re-organisation in the Northeast, the report says that primary care teams need to be put in place before services are removed from hospitals, and that the government could look at having two hospitals, one regional and one general, in the region.

The report states that the HSE may be "trying to do too much at once" and is not actively looking at what it can achieve and deliver in the short term. It also needs to sell policy changes to the population.

Overall, the report says that the health of the population is good and improving at an exceptionally rapid pace. So it seems that despite all our problems in the health sector there is still some hope then...

However, one has to read the OECD report on reform in the Irish public sector with a pinch of salt, since it was commissioned by the current Irish government.

The Emerald Islander