Health: Ireland’s average health system
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012“The Irish lifestyle may be fun but there’s no way you can describe it as healthy,” according to the head of the OECD’s health division Mark Pearson. Meadhbh Monahan reports. Ireland has had “stunning” increases in life expectancy (with the age of the total population at birth increasing from 76.6 to 80 years since 2000) but is “doing badly” at preventing and treating chronic conditions, which are largely self-inflicted through lifestyle choices. Mark Pearson brought this message to the ESRI Budget Perspectives event. While Ireland’s health spend per capita rose quicker...[full story]
Health: Funding the Irish health system
Friday, August 19th, 2011Brian Turner outlines the various health insurance models used across the globe and considers which is most suitable for Ireland. Health systems around the world struggle to balance equity and efficiency. The basic principle that systems try to achieve is funding based on ability to pay and access based on need. The Irish health system does not currently achieve this, but then no health system around the world is without its shortcomings in this regard. So what are the options for funding the Irish health system and would any of them be superior to the existing funding mechanism? There...[full story]
Public sector reform: HSE Reform
Friday, August 19th, 2011eolas reviews reform in the HSE as it faces budget cuts and a €208 million deficit. The Health Service Executive’s budget has decreased from €14.6 billion in 2009 to €14.1 billion in 2010 and €12.35 billion in 2011. Using the whole time equivalent (WTE) measure, the number of Health Service staff were reduced by 4,179 from 109,843 in March 2010 to 105,664 in March 2011. This includes 1,626 WTE staff leaving under the voluntary exit packages in 2010, 960 secondments from the Community Welfare Service to the Department of Social Protection and other reductions due to normal retirements. A...[full story]
ICT: Social media in health
Friday, May 13th, 2011Social media can connect hospitals and the communities they serve. Paul McGarrity reviews how American hospitals are using the internet creatively in their work. “I am Haitian” reads the sign held high by Dr Sharon Henry from the University of Maryland Medical Center. The photo features prominently on the MD4Haiti site set up to share information supporting the post-Haiti earthquake medical operation. MD4Haiti captures the essence of how hospitals and the wider health community are using social media to communicate more effectively online. So why are hospitals throughout the US –...[full story]
Meet the Media: Newstalk’s Chris Donoghue
Friday, May 13th, 2011Formerly a runner for TV companies in London and New York, Chris Donoghue studied journalism in Griffith College before covering the 2008 American presidential election in Washington. A battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2006 didn’t deter the enthusiastic 27-year-old who now co-hosts Newstalk’s Breakfast show. What education and career pathway led you to your current position? I finished my leaving certificate in the class of 2001. I had just turned 17 and with the exams finished in June, I had only one plan: to do everything I could not to be in college in September 2001. My...[full story]
Health: Reforming Ireland’s health system
Thursday, March 31st, 2011Professor Charles Normand believes that better planning of care, efficient record keeping and management of capital costs would lead to a “more fit for purpose” health system. It is a cliché in the airline industry that to make progress the focus must shift from flying aeroplanes to carrying passengers. In the same way to make real progress in the delivery of health services we need to stop focussing on running services and concentrate on caring for patients. More than three quarters of spending on health services is for managing established, chronic health problems, but the system...[full story]
Health: Health policy
Thursday, March 31st, 2011As the new Dáil considers the best way forward for Ireland’s health services, eolas summarises the parties’ election campaign commitments. Fine Gael Minister: Dr James Reilly TD Fine Gael’s first priority was to radically reform the current health system (2011-2015) and then to introduce universal health insurance, abbreviated as UHI (2016-2020). The first phase would involve treating more patients in the community, especially those with chronic conditions. A ‘special delivery unit’ would report directly to the Minister on eliminating long waiting times. Free GP care would...[full story]
