Hospital funding and money follows patient
Robert Troy asks whether the health information Bill will support the money-follows-the-patient policy and challenges funding cuts and proposed service removals at Mullingar hospital despite increased activity. The Taoiseach says hospital budgets are changing, a Green Paper on the policy and universal health insurance is forthcoming, and publication timings are sought.
Will the health information Bill ensure the Government's commitment that the money will follow the patient will be met?
Comment on this
In light of this, I ask the Taoiseach what is the reason Mullingar hospital has suffered a cut of 2.5%-----
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-----considering that its activity has increased by 4%? The Taoiseach might confirm what is the reason performing hospitals have been penalised in their allocation of funding by the HSE-----
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-----and will this be addressed? I merely ask because this is a very important issue.
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Services are to be removed from a hospital that has been performing. In light of the health information Bill, will this issue be addressed because I consider it to be a great anomaly?
Comment on this
There has been a change in the way in which budgets are being prepared for hospitals. The health information Bill is due later this year. On Deputy Troy's comment in respect of the money-follows-the-patient exercise, the Minister has had approval for a paper on that. It will be published as a Green Paper, in conjunction with a paper to be published very shortly on universal health insurance, which it is the intention of the Government to introduce at the end of its period of office.
Comment on this
Are there times for the publication of those papers?