THE HEALTH MINISTER has said that the level of supplementary funding needed by the HSE is “a considerable achievement”.

James Reilly today told the Select Sub-Committee on Health that the €199 million required to keep the executive going until 31 December was coming at a time when there was a onus on the HSE to spend.

He said that they were in a unique position in not being able to refuse to spend money, having to treat people who were sick.

He said that the €20 million of the HSE’s €219 million budget overrun would be met by savings within the Department of Health.

Reilly added that the supplementary funding accounted for just 1.6 per cent of the overall HSE budget and represented a “considerable achievement”.

This is a considerable achievement by the executive in light of the very challenging environment it has operated in this year. In light of demand and demographic pressure, the need to ensure patients’ safety is a priority at all times.

Reilly said that many of the HSE’s cost-saving plans had been met, but the delay in implementing the Haddington Road Agreement was one of a number of roadblocks to hitting the targets.

He said that it was a “challenging” year and outlined measures, such as rostering changes and charging for private beds in public hospitals, that would help the HSE hit budget targets in 2014.

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