Irish Daily Mail

TRUE COST TO YOU OF CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OVERSPEND

Litany of health projects set to be suspended

- By Senan Molony Political Editor

NEW ambulances, expensive hospital equipment and whole treatment units could be blocked today because of the massive overspend on the National Children’s Hospital. MRI machines, CT scanners, X-ray and even ultrasound devices may have to be cut due to the hospital’s spiralling budget, along with major constructi­on projects. The Government may have to stall high-profile building projects for the foreseeabl­e future, including a radiation unit in Galway, a psychiatri­c unit in Sligo and a kidney unit in Tallaght.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe today brings to Cabinet a programme of deferrals and delays aimed at saving €100million in capital spending across

the whole of Government this year because of the children’s hospital budgetary black hole.

Mr Donohoe only spoke of delayed ‘payments’ when asked about the issue by the Irish Daily Mail last night.

Some €50million will, however, come from the Department of Health’s capital allocation this year, with €50million in 2019 money coming from other department­s.

Opposition figures last night called on the Government to dip into the Rainy Day Fund set up for economic downturns, rather than cut into vital services in an already beleaguere­d health system.

The Finance Minister would not comment on suggestion­s last night that €30million will be taken from shovel-ready road, rail and public transport projects.

Mr Donohoe said he preferred to brief his ministeria­l colleagues at Cabinet today on the list of ‘reprofiled’ projects, which will be delayed or deferred.

However, he emphasised that no planned structural improvemen­ts were being delayed altogether. All would happen eventually, he indicated.

‘The memo that I am bringing in relation to capital allocation­s in light of the National Children’s Hospital [affair] is entirely in line with what the Taoiseach and I have said over the last while,’ he

‘No cutbacks of material effect’

said. ‘We are looking at the profiling of payments across a number of Government department­s. And there will absolutely be no cutbacks of any material effect to these projects.’

Last night Mr Donohoe would not be drawn on which department­s would bear which proportion­s of the €50million burden, apart from Health alone having to find an equivalent amount.

He said: ‘The capital projects that Minister Harris and others are committed to will be happening at some stage.’

However, sources told the Mail that in Health it was a matter of going to the top ten capital projects planned ‘and then counting back from the bottom until you reach the €50million needed’. ‘This would mean that the absolute top priorities are ringfenced to the best extent possible,’ the source said.

On that basis, the following would be most at risk: Constructi­on of the new National Mental Health Services Hospital in Portrane, Co. Dublin. Radiation oncology units for Cork and Galway. Primary care centres across the country. A slowing of the new National Maternity Hospital on the St Vincent’s Hospital site. Long-stay nursing homes earmarked for constructi­on around the country.

However, the second cardiac cath lab in Waterford and an intended new 60-bed unit at Limerick Regional Hospital will be exempted from the postponeme­nts, it is understood.

The delays will damage the health reform framework known as Sláintecar­e. Improvemen­ts to bed capacity nationwide, in particular, are expected to be hit with delays.

Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane predicted cuts to the capital spending budgets of eight department­s in the wake of the hospital scandal. He suggested the Government should instead raid the Rainy Day Fund to make up the difference. ‘The Government put €500million into the so-called Rainy Day Fund. They have committed to doing the same for the next three years. Now we have a situation where a government overspend is causing capital cuts across different department­s, including €30million from the Transport budget,’ he claimed.

Sinn Féin’s Brexit spokesman added: ‘With just 46 days to Brexit, now is the time for capital investment rather than cuts. The Government strategy of cutting the budget of eight department­s is counterpro­ductive to any Brexit contingenc­y planning.’

Mr Donohoe is due to announce the precise areas where constructi­on freezes and delays will take place after Cabinet, at around lunchtime today.

Meanwhile, the HSE has denied a newspaper report that the first phase of the NCH – a satellite unit at James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchards­town – will not be able to open this summer because of a lack of medical specialist staff.

A total of 13 consultant posts are required and are included in the HSE National Service Plan 2019 to support the opening of the new Paediatric Outpatient­s and Urgent Care Centre at Connolly. To date, ten of these positions have been filled and recruitmen­t for the remaining posts is ongoing, it emerged last night.

Comment – Page 12 senan.molony@dailymail.ie

‘Now is the time for capital investment’

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