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THE BESIEGED HEALTH Minister has been called “a reforming minister” by one of his government colleagues.
Fergus O’Dowd, Minister of State for the NewEra project, told RTÉ One’s The Week in Politics that James Reilly had been relatively successful in his ministerial post.
“Minister Reilly is a reforming minister,” said O’Dowd. He contrasted the landscape of the health system now with that of the Fianna Fáil era, saying: “Compared to when Fianna Fáil were in power, the number of people on trolleys – which is a major issue – has reduced nationally by 33 per cent. In my own hospital, the Lourdes hospital in Drogheda, the figures are down 54 per cent. That is a very significant change.”
A front page report on the Sunday Business Post today claims that huge cuts to health services – and not just reform – will be necessary to reach the reduced Health budget next year. While the stated figure of cuts is €666 million, it was reported last week that the figure could be closer to €1 billion.
Responding to this claim and to reports on pressure being put on James Reilly to make the cuts, O’Dowd said:
It’s a very difficult job we have, we’re doing it extremely well. Minister Howlin is meeting bilaterally with every minister, including Minister Reilly, in relation to the Budget.
Willie O’Dea, FF spokesperson for social affairs, said: “I’m trying to get my head around another billion being taken out of Health as it is at the moment. It’s inconceivable.”
He also highlighted the reports emanating from around Health as indicative of Reilly’s unpopularity among his own colleagues. O’Dea claimed that “the majority of the leaks seem to be coming from his Cabinet colleagues”. He added:
There seems to be a conspiracy somehow at Cabinet level to do down Mr Reilly.
Independent TD Catherine Murphy claimed that Health had been “badly administered” and that the health boards had not essentially been phased out but that they were “still there – with the HSE on top”.
She added: “You’re being asked to do more with so much less. The well has run dry.”
O’Dowd insisted that the government’s policies were working. He said:
The reason we are in this situation is because of the troika. We are balancing our budgets.
He continued: “The government’s policies are working. Three thousand people are getting jobs every month versus seven thousand losing their jobs when Willie was in power.”
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Fergus O’Dowd, Minister of State for the NewEra project? Who? Never heard of you or the NewEra project.
I’d stick to doing your job rather than sticking my neck out for O’Reilly if I were you!
Go back to sleep Neil, you don’t really know much about Irish politics if you have not heard about him…I have to ask why do bother making yourself look so stupid?
Everyone knows that the job is a poison chalice. Yawn yawn yawn. Until we invest in the health service instead of cutting it we won’t see any change.
@talkingsence…you know it’s should be talking senSe right?
How do these guys keep a straight face? I’m convinced they say things like this to wind to people up.
Even Stevie wonder could see he is a terrible health minister
Kian, yes buddy I sure do..I like it the name, I could not reuse it tho as it had been used before..a little play on spelling did the trick
Talkingshite was taken?!
Just because minister keep trotting out the same mantra “reform, we need reform, we are reforming, we will reform”
Reform is not necessarily always the best decision, we reformed and got the hse,
Once a minister/ representatives mention the word reform , everyone seems to be in agreement
Little Jim, I don’t know being honest…it would suit u thou with the non factual spoofing that you are prone to..
“Until we invest in the health service instead of cutting it we won’t see any change.”
The thing is that there was record spending on health from the mid 90s onwards. Spending increased at an average of 8.9% annually in real terms in the decade to 2009, according to the OECD. But still patient outcomes (the real measure of any health service) don’t seem to have improved drastically. Why?
Likewise, this year the Irish healthcare spending to GDP % will be about average compared to other OECD members. So we spend proportionately the same, but why do our outcomes not match?
Here is some useful reading – only a couple of pages long: http://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/Briefing-Note-IRELAND-2013.pdf
So Fergus O’Dowd, another teacher turned politician, thinks his colleague has been “relatively successful”, about as relatively successful as Edward J. Smith was when he captained the Titanic – and that didn’t end well either.
And how does Fergus O’Dowd, this voice of experience, compare the Health System now to its situation during Fianna Fáil’s reign, not SNA’s, not the waiting lists, not the medical card fiasco, not the Junior Doctor situation, not the declining health budget, not the fact that our aging hospitals are falling apart. Oh no, people on trolleys have been reduced. He cites his local Hospital, the Lourdes hospital in Drogheda where the brand new A&E Department, only a couple of years old is far too small and patients have to share cubicles, are routinely lined up head to toe in all available space in freezing cold corridors or on chairs if no trolleys are available. The conditions are so bad that I heard they even have difficulty getting staff to work in it. But hey, as long as they can say the numbers are reduced, right?
Ryan
The real problem with Healthcare is around people…..not the patients but rather the employees. We have been spending above average on Healthcare as a percentage of both GDP and GNP when measured against our Eurozone colleagues I the last ten years but health outcomes are much poorer across all areas.
With more than eighty percent of our costs being labour then we simply have a cost or productivity problem or a mix of both.
On these grounds alone the Minister would be correct in his budgetary approach in reducing spend by another billion Euro but with Haddington Road it must be at the expense of employee numbers.
Botox :-)
This is a reply to Tonys reference to keeping a straight face re Botox :-) (how come replys don’t go to the right place?)
yes Tony they do. Its all about psychology and creating drama. Winding people up feeds the shadow ones with energy.
Fergus O’Dowd is a louth TD based in Drogheda and is the number 1 man in charge of introducing the water charges
Excellent post, couldn’t agree more with you. He picks 1 area, where they have improved things, slightly and forgets about all the areas that are in a worse position today than ever before. Another few to add to your list, not the reduced hospice care for terminally ill, not the reduced home help allowance, not the HSE management that ” retired ” early to get their full pension entitlements only to be re- hired on a “consultancy” basis. not the increased prescription charges for our elderly, no mention of the terrible Hygiene reports recently released on some of our main hospitals. No mention of Savita, or the recently removed Roma children by the HSE. BUT yes there has been a small reduction of people on A/E trolleys , however we have just had extremely good weather this year, which automatically reduces patients attending A/E , The bad weather over the coming months might affect them figures , I will watch with interest.
Sadly the stats are ok but the OECD figure for the excess nurses is incorrect. It looks at total number of nurses registered in each discipline so those with dual and triple primary qualifications ie general and Paeds are counted twice.
The health of the banks is the only thing that concerns this government not the peoples health
Not too mention that all the budgetary safeguards and financial accountability records have been totally neglected since his appointment as Minister. His abrasive approach to his work colleagues doesn’t appear to be helping either…just ask Roisin Shorthall or the former chief of the HSE. Wonder if some of the €666 million (!) cuts are down to his lack of organisation and control.
Enda surely the previous minister and administration were worse? Reilly needs to cut. 2m medical cards is the rediculous position he started from plus a non functioning hse and doh. The slow pace of reform is a concern thought.
“James Reilly is a brutal minister” says the majority of Irish people.
“O’Dowd insisted that the government’s policies were working. He said:
The reason we are in this situation is because of the troika. We are balancing our budgets.”
No. The reason we are in this situation is because fine gael has decided to pay unguaranteed bondholders who bet on zombie banks instead of investing in healthcare.
I would love to see a list of theses individuals/entities who invested after the collapse on dead banks with the full knowledge that fine gael would pay out. If we ever got that list it would bring own this vichy government.
Reilly is a reforming Minister?!
And this dope probably said it with a straight face.
This is a classic example of what’s wrong with the Irish Political System. Rather than Fine Gael or Labour admit that Reilly should be removed, for the benefit of the Irish People, he is kept and defended for the benefit of the Coalition so they don’t look weak.
Different Party names same old political garbage with the Irish People being the loser every single time.
Don’t we as a people deserve better than this? A better political system where our right won’t be railroaded over if they become inconvenient for the Govt or their EU Masters?
Who are the only people who haven’t suffered over the last 5 years?
The Bankers, the Politicians and the Developers.
Who has suffered?
The Poor and the the Vulnerable and the Working Class.
This is the Ireland we all want to live in?
But hey, at least Reilly is a reforming Minister eh?
Such is the nature of auto genocide. Once you understand the mentality of the 1% you are crystal clear as to what is going on. Its nothing new after all , is it? Its just his story repeating itself because it worked for the 1% in the past over and over.
Things change Catherine.
Hopefully before it’s too late though.
I would love to see the current Political System destroyed within our lifetime.
We all deserve so much better and we are paying for so much more than we are actually getting.
Mickey Mouse wears a James Reilly pyjamas.
“Difficult job we have” complete joke they couldn’t sort the health system when the country had money.
o’dowd defends reilly… Well there’s a surprise !.
I wounder how many of the population of the country they swore (lied) to represent and work for would agree with you.
reilly is an incompetent oaf .
I won’t have that. He’s quite a competent oaf.
Fergus O’Dowd is/was a teacher, he’s not qualified to judge if the Minister for Health is doing a good job or not, beyond giving an opinion like the rest of us.
Again Jed, for the second time ! I fully agree with you.
Ah New ERA(Economy & Recovery Authority) is this another qaungo within another department,Are these the same f**kers who want to sell off off ESB group Bord Gais along with other semi states.
Actually why do we even need jnr ministers after all like their snr colleagues,They are told what to do by snr civil servants they are like a mayor just there for ceremonial duties.
Like opening new roads/ schools etc.
He’s more of a “deforming” minister
Reilly has thrown millions at the trolley problem , because it gets headlines
He has however taken millions from other areas in his department in order to achieve this
Ferguson O’Dowd, come & spend a week in a hospital where u have no staff because ppl are out sick because they are worked to the bone, they have retired and are not been replaced because of this stupid embargo, so yes James Reilly really has reformed the health service, I don’t think so!!!!!!!
How is O’Dowd a Cabinet colleague ? This must be a new era.
I think they’re all in the big river at this stage.
Deforming perhaps. Is there a spelling error?
Fergus O’Dowd is telling lies or Fergus O’Dowd is a very naive and stupid man. Take your pick.
I reckon Fergus all 3,
Why are FG/L ministers always defending and applauding themselves?
all feed from the same source.$$
“James Reilly is idiot “, says ordinary citizen !
Free Health Care for all, sign up on the dotted line below.
…..
Well they’re half way there. The other half pay through the teeth.
Heard O Dowd on the week in politics; what a pain in the hole he is
as far as i can see they were all suppose to reform that is why u got ellected have not seen much of it from any of u. it is stil de same onlf faces have changed.
Only achievement this Government Minister has made is to devastate the frontline service of health.
minister for health a reforming minister? less on trolleys, billions out of the health budget? does anyone see how one can link with the other then?
He’s reforming alright, in an outward direction.
Suits looking tight buddy, better think of upping the size.
That ought to be a bloody joke!?
He’s a jackass more like it
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