Acute hospital funding to be cut by €200m

Facilities will face a budget reduction of around 4 per cent on average

Acute hospitals will receive around €200 million less in State funding this year, the HSE has confirmed.

The HSE’s divisional service plans for 2014, published today, indicate that hospitals on average will face a budget cut of around 4 per cent.

The plan for the acute hospital sector says additional cost containment measures on top of the €56.5 million introduced last year will be required.

The HSE has also put in place a target of generating savings of €7.5 million from the reconfiguration of hospital services.

READ MORE

Separately the HSE plan says there will be a comprehensive review of eligibility for medical cards and GP visit cards.

Martin Wall

Martin Wall

Martin Wall is the former Washington Correspondent of The Irish Times. He was previously industry correspondent