Sir, – The news that the St Vincent's hospital CEO, Nicholas Jermyn, is receiving a pay package of close to €300,000 per annum, including "top-ups" of €156,000 approximately (Home News, December 24th) only continues the already notorious trend of health executives of whatever stripe paying themselves excessive salaries. Even the director of finance/company secretary and the director of nursing in St Vincent's have got in on the act, receiving "top ups" of various amounts.
It is clear that the Department of Health is in serious financial trouble.
It has the biggest budget shortfall of any government department and some poor sick people are going to suffer when medical items and services are cut because of this situation. Minister for Health James Reilly does not inspire anybody with confidence that this task will be carried out efficiently and with the least inconvenience to all concerned.
I hope the PAC gets to the bottom of this scandal and see appropriate action is taken to remedy the situation and, ideally, that steps are taken to ensure a repetition does not occur. People making a living from the health service is one thing, people milking it is a different thing altogether. – Yours, etc,
LIAM COOKE,
Greencastle Avenue,
Coolock,
Dublin 17.