Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Coffey for his presentation. He referred in his presentation to the cost of pharmaceutical products, which increased from €570 million a year in 2000 to €2 billion by 2010, a huge increase. No checks and balances seem to have been applied. Legislation on the use of generic drugs has been introduced and we are moving closer to the same usage ratio as in the UK. The consumer price index compares the prices of a basket of products with prices in nine other countries. Has enough been done in this regard? Is further work required?

I refer to the issue of health care costs. The health budget is approximately €13.2 billion, and about €3.26 billion is paid out to 2,600 organisations, including hospitals, those caring for people with disabilities and very small organisations. Are we getting value for money for that €3.26 billion, which is more than 25% of the budget in real terms? Is there a need for a more co-ordinated approach to the amalgamation of services in order to be more cost-effective?