THE DÁIL HAS heard claims of huge conflicts of interest in Irish hospitals, with some hospital consultants diverting patients on public waiting lists to their own private companies. 

Aontú TD Peadar Tóibín made the allegation today during Leaders’ Questions.

“It has been alleged in one case that a consultant who created this private firm to read scans, used the hospital public waiting lists to then funnel work through rostering into his own private company. An incredible situation, a major conflict of interest for anybody in a public role to be doing this in relation to their own businesses,” Tóibín said. 

Tóibín noted that practices of this kind had been uncovered via an internal audit report carried out by the HSE last year. He said situations like this must not be allowed. 

Taking Leaders’ Questions today on behalf of Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Minister for Public Expenditure, Jack Chambers said the matters raised by Tóibín were “very serious and need to be properly and thoroughly followed through by the HSE.”

“There obviously are references there to conflicts of interest and value for money, concerns which are extremely concerning,” he said.

He explained that under initiatives to reduce waiting lists, the HSE can outsource some services to private hospitals, which can be done internally. This is known as “in-sourcing”.

Chambers said: “The HSE ceo, I understand, at the request of the Minister for Health, has initiated a detailed survey of all in-sourcing activity within the HSE.”

He added: “The HSE ceo has also issued an instruction that all in-sourcing where existing staff are hired, engaged or paid by a separate entity to work on initiatives in their own place or type of work must now be paused.

“Only in-sourcing where the HSE directly engages its own staff through payroll can continue until this survey is completed.”

UHL 

Chambers noted that there was an internal audit carried out on in-sourcing at University Hospital Limerick.

Published in September 2024, the internal audit found that consultants were carrying out insourcing in UHL.

“The audit found that consultants set up private companies and referred patients to their own companies. Tender processes were not appropriately followed,” Chambers told the Dáil. 

“The CEO of the HSE has instigated a review of insourcing, as I’ve said, across the HSE, not just because of the above audit, but also due to broader concerns about how it is operating and value for money, considerations.” 

Chambers added: “So I have to say, having been made aware of this, it is serious, and if appropriate procedures haven’t been followed, there has to be full follow-through from the HSE.”