Liz McManus
Question:84 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps being taken to deal with the acute budgetary problems facing the major Dublin teaching hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18039/02]
Other Questions. - Dublin Teaching Hospitals.
The Eastern Regional Health Authority is in discussions with the major Dublin teaching hospitals in regard to outstanding issues in the context of the service agreements between the authority and the hospitals for this year. Those talks are continuing and my Department understands the authority is hoping to conclude discussions on all outstanding issues in the near future.
Is the Minister for Health and Children not embarrassed by the fact that Dublin's flagship teaching hospitals are hopelessly in the red and that the ERHA was unable to provide them with sufficient funding at the beginning of the year? Is he aware that at that stage there was a shortfall of €67 million between what the hospitals needed and what the ERHA was willing to provide? Is he not embarrassed by the fact that hospital beds are not being used, services are not being provided for patients and equipment is not being properly maintained because of budget overruns? Does he accept that his reply is deficient particularly in the light of the situation which obtains in major voluntary hospitals in Dublin, where the population is increasing to a degree where it is clearly having an impact on the health service, when medical—
An Leas-Cheann Comhairle:
Supplementary questions are limited to one minute which the Deputy has more than exceeded. I remind the Minister that answers are also limited to one minute.
The Dublin teaching hospitals received an average and significant increase in allocation over the base funding in 2002 of 17.1%. I acknowledge that total activity has risen significantly and that the hospitals would have taken on board, from 2001, a record increase in activity levels and this has flowed into 2002. Activity levels within the hospitals are up 13%, which does not accord with the picture the Deputy has painted. That is a significant increase in any one year, much of which was taken up by day case activity. Accident and emergency attendances are down by 2% from the previous year.
Under the legislation, approximately 39 agencies come under the aegis of the ERHA with which it is obliged to reach accommodations in respect of service agreements.
An Leas-Cheann Comhairle:
The Minister's time is up. I call Deputy Olivia Mitchell.
There are issues which require further review in terms of the length of time it takes—
An Leas-Cheann Comhairle:
I call Deputy Olivia Mitchell.
The increased activity levels to which the Minister referred place greatly increased pressure on machinery and equipment in hospitals. Unless these are given adequate budgets, the staff who use such equipment are being under-utilised. Is there any sense in acute hospitals, which cannot deliver services, paying huge overheads while we, at the same time, are paying to fly patients to Manchester and elsewhere for treatment?
The level of reported over-runs in expenditure across the health sector this year is less in percentage terms than the figure for the same time last year. There is much working out to be done yet. There have been additional pressures on the hospitals, particularly due to insurance costs and the winter vomiting bug, but there has been an additional allocation of 17.1% to the ERHA in respect of the Dublin academic teaching hospitals. That is significant by any standards. Earlier this afternoon the Deputy was accusing us of over spending and throwing money at health. Now we are told it is not enough.
I am saying the Minister is throwing it away by sending people to Manchester.
Last year we were living in a pre-election wonderland where there were no problems. Now the truth has been revealed and there are serious financial problems. That is likely to have a serious impact on hospitals who currently have budget over-runs. Can the Minister guarantee that the problems the major teaching hospitals in Dublin are facing will be resolved and that he can provide the additional funding to ensure they will not be in an even worse position next year? Medical inflation is running so high at present that even though the Minister has provided additional funding, and nobody is arguing that point, it is insufficient. This is not the run up to an election. The Minister is facing reality now and, unfortunately, it appears that patients are facing a reality that could have a serious impact on their health.
At the commencement of 2002, even though it was an election year, we told the boards to provide for higher contingency funding to deal with difficulties. We thought from the outset that this year was going to be difficult. This House set up the Eastern Regional Health Authority as a basis for the re-organisation of services in Dublin. When the initial legislation was passed some years ago the objective was to create an authority that would enter into service agreements. It would receive an overall budget from the House and would deal with the Dublin academic teaching hospitals and the more than 30 other agencies that provide services.
There is a shortfall of €67 million.
I am not going to interfere with that process; the process will have to work itself through.