Tags: budget, Cork, Forum, HSE South, Ireland, John Buttimer, politics

John Buttimer

FINE Gael city councillor John Buttimer is calling on the HSE South to publish and make available documentation it has prepared in advance of the forthcoming budget in December and how this will impact on the development of a health service plan for 2010.  Cllr Buttimer has tabled a notice of motion to this effect for the meeting of the HSE South Regional Health Forum.

Cllr Buttimer said, “2009 was a very difficult year for the HSE and the delivery of health services across the region. Cost saving measures, including a staffing embargo, reduction of over-time, realignment of services, non-replacement of staff, an increase in demand lead schemes because of the economic recession and the need to respond to the threat of swine flu has meant that hundreds of millions of euro have been taken out of the system.

“It is important that the HSE is accountable at a local level for the budgetary decisions they make. While the Forum has no executive function, the HSE South should come before the Forum to explain and to justify the decisions they are making.

“We need to know what priority the HSE South is giving to the development of a real and meaningful service plan in 2010 which will meet the needs of all people in Cork.  We need to know and we demand to know what services will be cut and who will be affected by the cuts in these services.

“It is just not possible to take millions of euro out of a system and say that it will have no consequence.”