| CORI Healthcare Response to Budget |
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• Introduced a 50 cent charge per item for the GMS and Long Term Illness Scheme. • Increased the Drugs Payment Scheme from €100 to €120. • Reduced adult medical-card holders Dental Treatment Services Scheme, to €63m. • Reduced the National Childcare Investment Programme (NCIP) by €2.5m in 2010 and €7.5m in a full year. • Seeks economies of €106m from the HSE in non-pay expenditure. • Reduced by €37m the capital expenditure. • Entitlements under the Treatment Benefit Scheme will be limited to the Medical and Surgical appliances scheme and the free examination elements of the Dental and Optical Benefit schemes. • Allocated an additional €97m for Fair Deal Scheme. • Allocated an additional €10m for Home Care Packages. • Allocated an extra €230m for demand-led schemes including medical cards, national cancer control programmes. • Allocated €17m to support innovation in service delivery. • Identified the proceeds of assets and investments to the sum of €43m to develop the mental health capital programme. • Allocated €3m to an innovation fund for disability and mental health. Our Response • The necessary major reform of Ireland’s healthcare system remains to be done. Budget 2010 fails to address major problems and fails to honour major commitments. • The reduction of €659m in pay in the health sector includes savings associated with the moratorium on recruitment and promotion of staff The concern with this is that the inflexible implementation of the moratorium will mean that critical frontline services such as Primary Care Teams. Mental Health, Disability and Childcare Services will be put at risk as staff retire or posts become vacant. These measures will fundamentally put in danger the transformation of the health services. • The failure to provide the small funding required towards development of primary care teams across the country is another example of small savings producing large costs in the long term. Failure to honour the commitment contained in the Towards 2016 national agreement to provide funding for 400 primary care teams by the end of 2009 is a sad reflection on a short-sighted HSE and Government. • All persons should be assured that healthcare is guaranteed in their times of vulnerability. The failure to address the issue of medical cards being available to all those who are vulnerable, is extremely disappointing. The introduction of 50 cent per item on prescription is a further indication of the failure to protect the vulnerable now and in future years. This is compounded by the reduction in the Dental Treatment Scheme for adult medical-card holders. • The Budget need for further economies of 106 million from the HSE in non-pay expenditure is a cause for concern as this may have a further impact on availability of services. • The commitment to give the proceeds of assets and investments to develop the mental health capital programme as identified in Vision for Change is welcomed. • The increased allocation to the Fair Deal and Home Care Packages is welcomed and in keeping with the government policy of care for older people |
