Despite this week’s ‘no-risk Budget’, our health service faces greater threat of cut

From the Irish Independent on 16 October 2015
Government spin doctors must be thrilled with themselves as they listen to the chorus of Budget 2016 being declared as ‘a Budget for everyone’. Even the usually cynical and numerate economic analysts heralded it as ‘a no-risk Budget’.But closer scrutiny of the health budget clearly shows this is not a Budget for everyone and there are huge risks for many citizens due to the choices made.

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Next year will be the most difficult yet for health services

From the irish Independent on 14 October 2015

In the opening gambit for Budget 2016, Minister Michael Noonan promised “more doctors and nurses” as “sensible and affordable” measures. Minister Howlin hailed it as “the second budget in succession in which we are able to increase support for our public services”.

Plugging the black hole

Column from Medical Independent on 8 October 2015

When Leo Varadkar took up post as health minister, he prioritised securing an ‘adequate’ budget for health. He did this in the hope that he could break the cycle of over-spending in health. Come early December 2014, the rumours about the extent of the supplementary budget required for health were quashed when a whopping €680 million supplementary budget was announced.

Hard choices to be made in the political parlour

Column from Irish Independent on 8 July 2015.

Game on for Budget 2016, with the impending general election in sight. Last Friday, Tánaiste Joan Burton warned interest groups at the Social Protection forum in Dublin Castle that “the Budget isn’t a parlour game in which everybody puts out what they would like”.