About 3,000 health service jobs will be created as a result of the Estimates.
The Government has provided for a 17 per cent increase in health spending next year, bringing it to £5,015 million. Much of the increase relates to pay and includes £80 million extra for non-consultant hospital doctors and £22 million for home helps.
This is the second year in succession that funding has been provided for an extra 3,000 posts.
In many cases the posts are covered by agency nurses or staff on overtime, because of the difficulty in getting new staff.
The health Estimate includes an extra £15.5 million for childcare services, of which £1.6 million is to alleviate youth homelessness. The Minister of State for Children, Ms Mary Hanafin, said last night that the extra money would allow the opening of high support/secure units and residential units, including Ballydowd and Portrane, both in Co Dublin.
Mr Martin said spending would have to continue increasing in the future to modernise the health services, but that this would have to be accompanied by reforms.
Home helps, traditionally the worst-paid of all social service workers, will see their pay go up to £6.50 an hour from January, a rise of £1.50 an hour.
Other non-capital spending areas include:
Acute hospitals: A total of £12.3 million extra will go to such areas as heart treatment, cancer, blood disorders, orthopaedics, rheumatology and ENT (ear, nose and throat). The cancer strategy will get £5 million more and renal (kidney) treatment an extra £1.4 million. New acute hospital units will get an extra £10 million for running costs.
An extra £10 million is budgeted for 25 more casualty consultants.
Older people: An extra £16 million will pay for improvements including six new community nursing units and eight new daycare centres. Nursing home subventions will get an extra £4 million.
Disability: Services for people with intellectual disabilities including mental handicaps will get an extra £10 million. Services for people with physical disabilities get an extra £12 million.
Drug subsidies: Subsidies of the cost of drugs under a variety of schemes will cost an extra £37 million.
Vaccination: Various vaccination schemes, the main one being the meningitis C project, will cost £21 million extra.
Capital spending will include £40 million on facilities for people with intellectual disabilities and with autism.
Major acute hospital construction projects to begin in 2001 and to be funded out of the capital programme include facilities at St Vincent's Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin, the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, Dublin, Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Dublin, Cork University Hospital, Tullamore General Hospital, Co Offaly, and Portlaoise General Hospital, Co Laois.
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