Budget 2024 fails to deliver funding for promised extra hospital capacity – IHCA

Irish Hospital Consultants Association – Statement on Budget 2024 Announcement 

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has today (Tuesday 10 October 2023) expressed concern that Budget 2024 has not provided the necessary capital funding to build and open the additional acute hospital beds and theatre capacity in our public hospitals already announced by the Minister for Health.

The Association had estimated that €4bn could be required for the long promised four elective hospitals, six surgical hubs, and the 1,500 rapid build public hospital beds that Minister Stephen Donnelly promised to open across 15 acute public hospital sites in 2023 and 2024. 

Instead, Budget 2024 has allocated €1.23bn in capital funding for Health next year, which is just €70m more than the allocation in 2023. Consultants say this will not result in the opening of the 1,500 additional rapid build hospital beds, six surgical hubs and four elective hospitals promised by the Minister for Health, and therefore will not address the demographic factors increasing the demand for care that is growing year on year.  

The IHCA has also expressed concern that the overall allocation to Health, at €22.5bn, does not go far enough to address the decade-long public hospital capacity deficits that are the root causes of the unacceptable public hospital waiting lists, which now stand at over 1 million people awaiting assessment, diagnosis and treatment.  

Professor Rob Landers, President of the IHCA, said: “Regrettably Budget 2024 will not adequately address the overwhelming capacity deficits in our acute hospital and mental health services, especially the severe shortage of public hospital beds, theatres, and other frontline facilities, which are urgently needed to provide timely, safe care to patients.   

“The four new elective hospitals have been promised since Sláintecare in 2017 but have not been opened or advanced as expected. In addition, the six surgical hubs proposed in December 2022 remain as far away as ever, and the 1,500 rapid build hospital beds announced by the Minister in April are nowhere to be seen.

“Without the required funding to rapidly address the fundamental shortage of acute hospital beds, theatre capacity and other facilities the challenges in delivering timely care will continue to escalate.”

ENDS
 

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