IHCA warns over “crumbling” hospital infrastructure

He was speaking at the Association’s launch of its pre budget submission.

“The unrelenting focus on futile attempts to balance inadequate budgets has resulted in years of failure to invest in essential increases in acute hospital capacity, new technology and equipment,” said Dr Ryan.

“As a result, Ireland’s acute health infrastructure is now crumbling, with many hospitals attempting to treat patients with inadequate capacity and equipment that is increasingly obsolete.

“The Government must address these gaping capacity and equipment problems by ensuring that it substantially increases funding for capital expenditure to reverse the cuts of recent years.”

In its pre-Budget submission the IHCA, among other things, calls for an immediate increase in the number of acute, ICU and rehabilitation beds.

The Association also calls for an immediate increase in the availability of step down care and other facilities to support timely discharge of patients from acute hospitals.

The Association also highlighted the continuing consultant recruitment and retention crisis .

“In reality Ireland is no longer internationally competitive in attracting highly trained specialists in the numbers needed to treat a growing numbers of patients and to develop the public health system,” said Dr Ryan.

“There is a continuing failure to fill consultant posts due to the State’s blatant and repeated breaches of contract terms and due to the discrimination against new consultants. Combined with frontline under-resourcing, these fundamental breaches of trust continue to undermine the attractiveness of the Irish health service to highly trained internationally mobile specialists.”