Results 8,441-8,460 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney
- Hospitals Building Programme. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: No, I do not. Tallaght Hospital, for example, has a current occupancy rate of 40%, which means 60% of the beds are not in use.
- Hospitals Building Programme. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: No, the McKinsey report advised that this site can take a further 200 beds.
- Hospitals Building Programme. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: I am advised it can be further expanded to provide 580 beds.
- Hospital Charges. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: The figure of â¬111 million is an estimate by Health Service Executive of the amount the ten public hospitals selected as sites for collocated private hospitals charged private health insurers in 2005. I was informed by the HSE yesterday that, as a result of the ongoing public procurement exercise, the collocation initiative will not be proceeding on two public hospital sites at this time....
- Hospital Charges. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: I am confused by the Deputy's response. He asked me what it would cost to convert these beds to public beds. The cost for 85 beds in the ten hospitals would come to just under â¬90 million. It must be remembered all nurses and staff are paid from the public purse. I have a problem with the taxpayer heavily subsidising private beds in public hospitals. Those beds are only available for...
- Hospital Charges. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: I know that.
- Hospital Charges. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: The Deputy is saying that the half with private health insurance should get preferential treatment in hospitals funded by the taxpayer, over and above other people who could be sicker. I do not agree with that.
- Hospital Charges. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: Yes, they are because only private patients can use those beds. Access to public hospitals should be solely on the basis of medical need.
- Hospital Charges. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: The cost of providing these beds in the traditional way would cost â¬1 billion â â¬1 million per bed. The maximum cost of providing them in this way will be â¬480 million. From a capital cost perspective, the figure saved will be â¬520 million. We normally paid for all administrative, nursing and other health staff. These will be paid for by the private provider. No group of...
- Hospital Charges. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: No. The Deputy claimed it would cost â¬2 billion.
- Hospital Charges. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: I am usually accused by the Deputy of privatising the health service. It is ironic that he has changed his position. Until very recently he accused me of giving public land to private providers.
- Hospital Charges. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: We are not giving away the land. It will be leased. This is about getting a better deal for patients.
- Hospital Charges. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: Health insurance premiums will increase. Risk equalisation alone will increase them.
- Hospital Charges. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: As we increase the costs of private beds in public hospitals, which has been the Government's policy in the past seven years, so too will the price of private health insurance increase. In the UK, only 11% of the population belongs to a private health insurance scheme.
- Hospital Charges. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: No, it is not a standard. I support private provision. That is why tax breaks have been provided for it.
- Hospital Charges. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: Both the private and public health systems working together will provide better care for patients.
- Hospital Charges. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: At least Deputy Twomey agrees with Deputy à Caoláin.
- Hospital Charges. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: Fine Gael's position on this is very confusing.
- Hospital Charges. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: The purpose of this policy is to provide 1,000 more public bedsââ
- Hospital Charges. (5 Dec 2006)
Mary Harney: ââin public hospitals which have been funded by the taxpayer but are only available to half of the population. I do not believe that is fair.