Jun 10
16
Gallagher: Protect frontline services but scrutinise health budget
Tommy Gallagher MLA
SDLP Health spokesman Tommy Gallagher MLA has called for proper scrutiny of the health budget in order to protect frontline services.
“The SDLP is committed to ensuring a well-resourced health service where money is spent more efficiently and effectively.
“We understand the sentiment behind the motion before the Health Committee in the current economic climate and in the face of cuts in public spending.
“However, ring fencing the entire health budget may not be the simple answer to our financial problems.
“There is a danger that this would give the Minister and his civil servants a free hand to run the health service on their own terms, with little scrutiny or controls.
“There is no guarantee that this would indeed protect frontline services such as domiciliary care.
“The health budget is the biggest of all the devolved departments and like everywhere else there is money being wasted on red tape and bureaucracy. This is where savings must be made.
“The SDLP warned at the time of the budget vote in the Assembly back in 2008 that ‘efficiency savings’ would largely turn out to be cuts to frontline services. We argued against what we believed was a flawed budget which paid far too little attention to the needs of the weak and vulnerable.
“The SDLP has proposed in the past the establishment of a special Assembly committee to scrutinize budgets to identify what frontline services and what budget lines fund them in order to protect them.
“This idea has been rejected by other parties but this is really what the Assembly health committee should be doing to our departmental budget to make sure we get value for money in our health service without affecting care for patients.”
Speaking ahead of a health committee debate tomorrow on a motion to ring fence the entire departmental budget, the Fermanagh South Tyrone Assembly Member said:
