Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health David Cullinane TD has said that severe limitations on recruitment to the health service will continue. 

He has said that while the €1.5 billion allocated to health last week is welcome it demonstrates the chaotic way that the government are funding and delivering health care.

Speaking today, Teachta Cullinane said:

“When Budget 2024 was announced, I immediately called out the deliberate underfunding of the health service.

“I pointed to increasing costs, growing health inflation and an increase in demand. This was dismissed by the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for Health.

“Last week the same political leaders signed off on €1.5 billion extra funding just for the health service to stand still.

“I also pointed to dire consequences for the health service and a starving of new funding for new developments. This was equally dismissed by the government.

“This disastrous approach has led to huge reputation damage to our public health service, an unnecessary and wreck-less recruitment embargo and a lost year in healthcare with very little funding for new measures.

“From the need for more additional capacity in our hospitals, to more community care, a crisis in public dentistry and no new funding for key strategies such as cancer care we lost a vital year to make real progress in building better health services.

“The announcement of the lifting of the recruitment freeze does not paint the full picture. The health service can recruit 2,300 new development posts this year including posts to achieve safe staffing levels and I welcome every additional post.

“However this is only a third of what was recruited each year for the last three years. This means thousands of people who can be recruited will not be because of severe limitations on recruitment and a lack of new funding. Many have already emigrated because of the recruitment embargo or are lost to the private sector.

“Sinn Féin for our part provided for substantial additional funding to ease waiting lists, reduce overcrowding and cut the cost of health care.

“Our plan would have put the health service on a sustainable basis, delivered 400,000 additional medical cards, cut the cost of medicines for all families and funded delivery of 3,000 new hospital and community beds.

“The next General Election will provide people with a clear choice – more of the same from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, or a Sinn Féin led government that will make big bold steps towards delivering a universal health care system and tackling hospital overcrowding and health waiting lists.”