It has emerged that officials from both the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will conduct a detailed review at the Department of Health to examine spending.
The review will examine ways to help the Department of Health to tighten up their operations and achieve a proposed €666 million in savings in 2014, including an attempt to reduce costs on the medical card scheme by €113 million.
Newstalk's Ivan Yates says the review will be conducted by a "crack squad", comparing the situation to a high-profile crime scene where "instead of the local cops, the Feds walk in, flash their badges and say 'we're taking over this investigation'".
Yesterday, Shane Coleman was joined by Roisin Shortall, Independent TD for Dublin North West who was the Junior Minister for Health with responsibility for primary care prior to her resignation from the Government in September 2012. The former Minister said she didn't buy the figures being put out by the Department of Health, and said, the figures produced had "all the hallmarks of a rush job". You can listen back to the interview below:
Shorthall believes that Brendan Howlin's Department of Public Expenditure "just wasn't happy with the kind and quality of figures they were getting from Health."
She explained how figures detailing the year's spending so far weren't produced until last Sunday, "and therefore it was impossible to project how much would be spent in the final quarter. Something was cobbled together last weekend, and I don't accept the figures... Given the extraordinary pressures that are on frontline services at the moment, I just don't understand how those savings can be achieved."
She thinks proposed cuts will be "devastating" and will "tear the heart out of the public health service... either the Government and Department will go ahead and do that, or else these are 'funny figures'".
Meanwhile, James Reilly says he has spoken to the Taoiseach Enda Kenny and they have decided to launch a communications campaign to explain what the review is all about. He has also reassured elderly medical card holders that they have nothing to be afraid of in terms of cuts.
Do you agree with Shorthall that the figures look like a rush job, or is there a challenging but considered plan behind the Health budget? Do you feel the savings can be achieved without a major revision of the figures revealed on Tuesday, or are the proposals completely unfeasible? Vote in our poll and leave your comments below.
